Close Flames
by AnonFlorem
Summary: After Audrey's apartment burns down of what they suspect to be a Trouble, she stays at Nathan's home. Will the friendly-intended invitation lead the pair to grow closer than simply partners? Reviews are motivation.
1. A New Home

Author's Note: I've been thinking about writing a rather long case-fic, that draws Nathan and Audrey together. This is only my second attempt at any fanfiction at all, so feedback and reviews make me crazily happy. Honestly, I smile like a weirdo with a warm fuzzy feeling inside for the the rest of the day, just by reading reviews.

Leave any questions, and I'd love to answer.

This is set around post 1x13. Audrey knows Nathan can feel her, but scratch out the identity crisis she's having.

**Disclaimer: None of these characters, or anything of this show belongs to me(though a girl can dream).**

* * *

Audrey gave her stoic partner a disbelieving look from the passenger seat of the Bronco.

"Every time, Nathan. I mean, come on." She shook her head.

Nathan kept his eyes on the road, taking the next turn towards Audrey's apartment. He kept his face emotionless, other than the the small smirk playing on his lips.

"They have the best pancakes in town, I'm not passing that up for an oily burger."

Nathan turned his head towards Audrey, ocean-tinted eyes full of amusement.

She laughed, a sweet sound he loved to hear. He grinned back in response, a sweet image she loved to see.

"I'll have you know Wuornos, that burger was not greasy in the slightest," Audrey stated confidently, "You should learn to expand your palette a bit."

"Mmhm," Nathan hummed while exaggeratedly nodding his head, "Of course, I'll take food advice from the woman who lives off Rosemary's."

"Hey! I'll have you know I haven't been there in two days." Audrey answered as she leaned back in her seat with a smug, satisfied grin.

"Right, because you don't have any leftover cupcakes stashed in your apartment?" Nathan inquired, a determined eyebrow raised.

Audrey opened her mouth, thought better of it, then closed it.

"We're here anyway, this conversation's to be continued when I don't have to lie about my answer." she said with a smile, as they pulled into her apartment's street corner.

Nathan shook his head as his lips quirked upward, knowing she'd never admit when she was wrong.

They both were suddenly dazed out of their uneventful day when they noticed the fire truck's blaring lights. The crowd of people standing in the grass watched the smoke of the building grow. The hot flames surrounding the apartment lit up the darkening sky.

Nathan and Audrey quickly hopped out of the Bronco, steering themselves towards the nearest fireman.

"Someone called at around five," the man answered while putting his oxygen tank in the truck, "muttering that the B&B was ablaze. My men got over here as fast as they could."

Audrey tried to stay professional, though she could only think about her belongings getting destroyed. She thanked herself that she wasn't a packrat or too sentimental, there wasn't anything she couldn't replace easily. She couldn't help but get nervous about her living arrangements now, though.

" Anyone killed or severely injured?" Nathan asked, quickly stealing a glance at a blank-faced Audrey who was staring at the smoke.

"No one dead, thank God." the fireman stated as he wiped sweat from his brow. "Not any extreme injuries, just a few cuts and bruises. Everyone mainly just seems shaken up."

"Yeah, I guess they are." Audrey replied, accidentally speaking her thoughts aloud. She stared at the dying flames that revealed a burnt and collapsing structure. She didn't even notice the fireman leave, she was so caught up surveying the rubble.

She stood silently beside Nathan, still taking in the quick turn of events.

"Well, that was a rather sudden change of plans, huh?" Audrey stated, a weak attempt at humor.

"I'm sorry..." Nathan started, his blue eyes comfortingly looking at her as he glanced back at the flames that were now diminishing.

"It's fine. I mean, homelessness isn't so bad." She said aloud, more for herself than for him.

"I'll just stay at that little Inn across town," Audrey began.

"Parker..."

"I'll get a cab to drive me to the station every morning an hour before work so I'm on time," she rambled on as she began pacing.

"Parker..."

"That way you don't have to drive me back and forth across t-"

"Audrey!"

Nathan gently held her shoulders in his hands, turning her to face him. Audrey tilted her head up to meet Nathan's gaze, she let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. He dropped his hands, feeling the warmth of her skin through her jacket fade instantly, but satisfied that he had finally gotten her attention.

He scuffed his shoe on the ground which he was suddenly staring at so intently.

"You can stay with me," he stated, ears flushing pink.

* * *

To Be Continued...


	2. Domesticity

Author's Note: I hoping to build some plot into the third chapter, but of course the fangirl in me crept in for this Naudrey-filled chapter. :3 Enjoy this chapter and review!

* * *

**"You can stay with me," he stated, ears flushing pink.**

* * *

Audrey whipped her head back abruptly to examine Nathan's features for a sign of doubt (there wasn't), as her eyes widen at his offer.

She looked at his reddening ears, but thought better of teasing him while he was being so generous. Maybe another time, she thought to herself, when he's not offering me a place to stay.

"Really?" Audrey asked, "You don't have to do that for me Nathan, I'm serious."

Nathan gave her an incredulous look.

"Parker, You need a place to stay," he answered, "We're partners. You're not staying all the way across town when I have a spare bedroom with your name on it."

Audrey's stomach gave a strange flutter at his sincere tone. She tried to ignore it, instead focusing on his sky-blue eyes.

"You sure? No take backs Wuornos," She stated with a challenging smile, "You're stuck with me."

Nathan's lips faintly quirked upwards, as he started walking towards the Bronco.

"Just get in, Parker." he said as he hopped into the driver's seat.

Audrey reluctantly sat next to him, and put her seatbelt on.

Nathan reached out the start the engine, as Audrey put her hand on top of his. Nathan felt his nerves soaring under her touch, felt her warmth seeping into him. He slowly met her gaze, and saw her vulnerable, not Audrey-Parker like expression.

"Nathan," she said softly, "thank you." She gave his hand a firm squeeze.

Audrey wasn't used to it, the caring of others. She grew up in an orphanage, she looked out for herself. No known family, she'd taken care of herself. Until now. Because here was Nathan, ready to offer her his home instantaneously.

"No problem," Nathan's warm voice responded, still looking at her.

Audrey gently pulled her hand back, and gave a small nod.

"Besides," Nathan started with a small smirk, "can't have you off your game 'cause of your commute. You'd leave me all the paperwork."

Audrey gave an airy laugh. The tension in the air instantly dissipating, Nathan drove off towards his bungalow.

Audrey studied Nathan's house as she walked in beside him, impressed on how well it represented him. The wooden floors lightly creaked as she stepped deeper in. She observed his dark blue colored walls, that were livened up by the furniture. It smelled rustic, with a scent of freshness.

"Kitchen's to the right, the bedrooms are down the hall, and the bathroom's to the left." Nathan stated, giving her a brief tour as they entered the living room. She nodded, taking in his words.

"Um, I can make some dinner if you're hungry," Nathan answered, while awkwardly scratch to his neck. He wasn't used to living with another person.

Audrey raised her eyebrows, giving him an exaggerated expression of shock.

"Nathan Wuornos can cook? I thought your only talent was fluency in monosyllable."

Nathan's gaze met hers, sapphire eyes twinkling with amusement.

"Yeah, well, I'm multi-skilled." he replied.

Audrey nodded with a smile.

"That I don't doubt, but honestly I just feel tired." Her fatigue kicked in as she horribly tried to cover a yawn. Though it didn't fool Nathan.

"With the day you've had," Nathan commented, "I'd be surprised if you weren't."

Audrey silently agreed, as she played with a loose thread of her jeans.

Nathan quietly took notice, and practically ran down the hallway with a hurried "One sec,", before quickly returning with one of his t-shirts and sweatpants.

"This'll be much warmer," he explained, "and you technically don't have other clothes at the moment."

Audrey all too well knew that, and hoped to find time to buy some soon.

For now though, she muttered a thanks, and gladly changed in her temporary bedroom. She inhaled the light scent of what smelled like sandalwood, and musk, and just the simple scent of Nathan that his shirt offered. She headed towards the living room, to find Nathan sprawled across the couch with case pictures of the earlier fire. She ignored the fitted white tee he'd changed into, showing off his lean muscles even more.

"We're talking to witnesses tomorrow, right?" Audrey inquired, making Nathan jump.

"Didn't hear y-"

Nathan lost his thought at the moment, as he turned his head and took in Audrey wearing his baggy shirt and sweats. Loose or tight clothing, he thought she looked stunning in anything. Seeing her wear his clothes stirred something in him.

Audrey's cheeks flushed pink as Nathan continued not-so subtly looking her up and down.

"What is it? Is the shirt ripped somewhere?" Audrey squirmed around, searching for a nonexistent tear.

Nathan instantly dazed out of his trance, her words bringing him back to reality.

"No-Its not-I," Nathan muttered, "I just didn't hear you walk in, that's all."

Audrey let out a sigh of relief, no rip.

"I wondered if we were going to ask witnesses some questions tomorrow," She nodded towards the images in his hands.

"Ah, that, yeah." Nathan replied.

A somewhat awkward silence filled the air, as Audrey finally spoke.

"I'm just going to, um, head to bed, then."

Nathan acknowledged her words with a nod and small smile.

"G'night, Parker."

"Good night, Nathan." Audrey replied, as she headed down the hallway. Tomorrow, she thought, they'd get some leads on that fire.

* * *

To Be Continued...


	3. The Owner

**"Good night, Nathan." Audrey replied, as she headed down the hallway. Tomorrow, she thought, they'd get some leads on that fire.**

* * *

Audrey Parker awoke to the smell of breakfast food that was completely unexpected; fried eggs.

After using the spare toothbrush Nathan had given her the other night, and quickly making the bed, she curiously headed towards the kitchen. Tilting her head up towards the stove, she got a good view of Nathan cracking an egg atop of the pan. She leaned against the wooden door frame, impressed at his graceful movements around the kitchen.

"You saving any for me, Partner?" Audrey quipped, receiving a grin from Nathan. Pushing both hands against the countertop, she jumped up easily, sitting comfortably on the counter across from him.

Nathan gazed at her adorable bed hair, she still in his clothes. He felt the whole thing to be incredibly domestic, he wasn't complaining. He's wasn't alone though, Audrey felt it too as she fiddled with the hem of Nathan's shirt that she was wearing.

"I'll think about it," he replied while flipping the egg, "how'd you sleep?"

"Nicely," she answered, though she'd mainly been tossing and turning, thinking about the fire.

"Good," Nathan responded as he put two full plates on the table.

"No pancakes?" Audrey asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Eggs are quicker," he stated as they both sat down at the table, "since we've gotta get going. We need to meet Helen, she's staying at her daughter's house."

Helen Seymour was the B&B's owner. She was always a kind old woman. Audrey hoped the she might know something.

They finished their food in companionable silence, and went their separate ways to get dressed.

* * *

The Bronco's rumbling engine was stopped, as the duo parked in front of Rebecca Seymour's home.

Nathan knocked on the door, and was greeted by a young brunette holding a baby.

"I'm Rebecca, Helen's daughter," she stated as she rocked the crying infant, " Mom's right inside, if you'd like to come in."

Audrey walked inside, while Nathan stayed by the door way.

His eyes lit up, as he watched the baby, and he held his arms out invitation.

"May I?" he asked.

"Oh," Rebecca smiled, "of course. This is Henry."

Nathan gently rocked Henry, soothing his cries.

"Do you know what happened last night, Henry?" Nathan softly murmered,"Did you see that fire, huh?"

Audrey examined her partner turning to complete mush as she bit back a grin, before soon extracting him away.

"As much as I know you love a cute baby," she stated, "we gotta a job to do, Wuornos. Give the woman her baby back."

Nathan frowned, but willingly gave a now calm Henry back.

The two then headed more deeply inside, seeing Helen sitting on the couch.

"Ms. Parker!" she exclaimed, "What a lovely surprise."

Audrey smiled at the woman, nodding in Nathan's direction.

"Helen, this is my partner; Detective Wuornos."

Helen examined their formal attire and badges, and stated easily, "I'm assuming you both are here for some questioning."

"That's right," Audrey answered with a sincere expression, "I'm so sorry about the B&B."

Helen gave a weak smile.

"It was a great experience for me," she stated with sad eyes, "I'm glad I had a chance to run the little Inn."

"Did there seem to be someone's room specifically you saw smoke emerging from?" Nathan inquired.

Helen squinted her eyes, thinking back prior to the earlier night.

"No, come to think of it," she looked up at them, "nothing at all. There wasn't even a moment before you'd think the place was on fire. It was like one second everything was fine, and the next, the B&B was ablaze. So suddenly."

Nathan and Audrey both sought eye contact with the other, silently agreeing. _A Trouble_.

"Was there any one acting strange, any suspicious behavior?"

"Nothing, just a normal day."

"Any threats towards the B&B?"

Helen let out a bitter laugh.

"Other than Cletus Philman, none."

Audrey raised an eyebrow, curiousity brewing.

"Cletus Philman," she stated mentally memorizing his name, "he threaten the B&B?"

"Oh dear, he always had. He previously owned the property. Always threatening to seize the land or nullify contracts, simply in spite."

"Any particular reason why?" Nathan questioned.

"He wanted to become part-owner to get in on the revenue, I didn't. I wanted to pass it down to Rebecca, wanted her to be the sole family owner when the time came." Helen replied wistfully.

After some more questions, the two officers headed towards the front door.

"I guess it wasn't a bad thing," Helen thought aloud as she walked them out, "I get to spend more time with family now. I worry for my tenants though; where are you staying Ms. Parker?"

"Oh, I'm staying with my partner." Audrey responded, gratefulness surging through her voice. She watched Nathan, who had lagged behind to give Henry one last coo.

"That's wonderful," Helen beamed, "you too make a lovely couple!"

"Oh, no, we're n-" Audrey uttered, before she was interrupted.

"I remember me and my Eddie, bless his soul, would smile when seeing such youthful love." Helen smiled, her eyes dancing sentimentally from Nathan to Audrey.

"You ready?" Nathan asked, as he appeared before them.

"Um, yeah." Audrey muttered, as she felt her cheeks getting warm.

"Thanks for your time," Nathan stated towards Helen, tipping his head.

"No trouble," she smiled.

Gesturing towards Audrey, in the most stern voice the kind, elder woman could muster, she stated "Now you take good care of her, young man."

Nathan looked from the winking old woman, to a flustered Audrey, and settled for responding with a confused "I will...?" in her direction.

"You want to mention what that was all about?" Nathan inquired with a raised eyebrow, as they hopped into the Bronco.

"You know, just looking out for an old tenant." Audrey remarked, in what she hoped was a nonchalant tone.

Nathan gave her a look, but dropped it. They then sped off in the direction of the station, to get Cletus Philman's address to pay him a visit.

* * *

To Be Continued...


	4. A Stubborn Man

Author's Note: I just want to say thanks to all of you reviewing/following. It means a lot, and I appreciate it. :)

* * *

**They then sped off in the direction of the station, to get Cletus Philman's address to pay him a visit.**

* * *

After he finally scribbling down Cletus Philman's address on a scrap of paper, Nathan grabbed his jacket. He held up the paper from the window of his and Audrey's joined office, where she'd been finishing a report when Julia Carr popped in. Giving her friend a concluding, grateful-looking(for what, he hadn't a clue) hug, Audrey fell into sync with Nathan as they headed towards the Bronco.

* * *

The duo pulled up in front of the curb of a private looking house, all blinds drawn.

Nathan firmly knocked twice on the front door.

After a moment, a balding man open the door slightly, a chain in position to close the door quickly if need be.

"Cletus Philman?" Audrey asked.

The man narrowed his eyes, looking from Nathan to Audrey.

"Who's askin'?"

Nathan maintained eye contact with the suspicious-eyed man, as he took out his badge.

"Haven PD, we'd like to ask you a few questions about Helen Seymour's B&B."

"Not again," the man muttered angrily, "first that Scott Pierson, now you people."

"Scott Pierson?" Audrey inquired, giving Nathan a glance. Though Haven was a small town, being a newbie had its downfalls.

"He works at Teddy's Local Inn," Nathan replied, "the place that was practically rivaled to the B&B. He's the owner's nephew."

Audrey mentally processed this information, storing it for later.

Chain still solidly in place, Cletus put a hand to his balding head as he evidently grinded his teeth.

"Listen here," he stated, brow furrowing.

"That Seymour is greedy. She wanted all the income for herself, and just wanted to give that place away to her daughter."

Audrey managed to keep her subjective thoughts at bay.

"You were claimed to make threats about seizing the property and destroying contracts, is this correct?" she questioned evenly.

"Sure is," Cletus sneered, "just to make that stubborn woman jumpy. Thought maybe she'd finally make me co-owner, that ain't happening now though."

"So you've heard then, about the fire?" Nathan pressed.

"Of course I-" Cletus's eyes widen in realization, as his face slowly turned beet red.

"I didn't start any fire, and you can put that on record." He furiously shouted, eyes firing up.

"No one's saying you-" Audrey began, hoping to calm him down. She failed.

"Are you detaining me?" Cletus inquired, fury dripping from each word.

"No, we just-" Nathan started, anger simmering.

"Am I being indicted?"

"No, we're simply-" Audrey managed to respond, before the pig-headed man interrupted once more.

"I know my rights then, just as you damn well know your way off my property." And with that, Cletus promptly slammed the door in their faces.

* * *

"Well, that was extremely helpful," Audrey stated as they headed towards the Bronco, her voice laced with annoyance.

Nathan irritably shook his head in agreement.

"At least we got one thing out of him," he replied, "Scott Pierson. Looks like we'll be heading to Teddy's Inn tomorrow then."

Audrey nodded, quietly concurring.

He checked the digital clock as he started the engine.

The daytime was coming to an end, or so he realized as he looked up at the darkening sky.

"You ready to head home, or want to go buy some clothes?" Nathan questioned, with a stolen glance in her direction.

Home. He said it so easily, the word simply rolled off his tongue. And to Audrey, he was right. Haven had become a home to her, much more than just the location of the case that brought her there.

Waiting for her response, Nathan silently hoped her answer would be no. Not only because he would prefer to do anything else other than walk around a boutique or sit in a dressing room for hours(though he suspected Audrey wouldn't take that long), but because he couldn't help but immensely like the way she looked wearing his clothes.

Maybe it was just his lucky day, because Audrey simply shook her head.

"Knowing Haven, more than half the stores are already closed. I don't get this unspoken curfew." Audrey said, as Nathan's lips quirked. Being a local, he knew all too well what she meant.

"Besides," she faintly smiled, "Julia gave me some of her work clothes to borrow when she stopped by at the station."

Audrey'd never been prone to stay in one place for long when she was with the FBI. Friends, if she'd even call them that, came and went. No deep feelings discussed, no sentimental memories shared. Julia was, as corny as it sounded, a true friend to her. Sticking with her as she tried uncovering her past, as she attempted to find out where she came from. As did Nathan. Probably even more so, since he was her partner, Audrey thought to herself as she observed him focusing straight on the road. She

examined his piercing blue eyes, his light stubble, and soft-looking hair. Her fingers twitched as she resisted the urge to run them through it. She almost laughed out loud, feeling ridiculous for thinking such a wild thing. This was Nathan. Her partner, her friend. She certainly wouldn't think something like that with just a friend.

She shook her head slightly, clearing her mind of such thoughts, instead focusing on the case. She hoped seeing Scott Pierson would give them some sense of clarity.

For now, she simply fell into a companiable silence as the steady rhythm of the Bronco rode them home.

* * *

To Be Continued...


	5. An Italian Dinner

**For now, she simply fell into a companiable silence as the steady rhythm of the Bronco rode them home.**

* * *

Audrey gave out a low sigh, as the duo walked through the front door of Nathan's house.

Nathan quizzically studied her, as he shrugged off his jacket.

"Tired already?"

"Nope, just a long day," Audrey stated with a weary smile.

"You hungry? I could make something."

Usually they'd grab a bite to eat, but after seeing Cletus Philman, their appetite was ruined.

A grin played across Audrey's lips.

"Is this 'something'," she gestured with air quotes, "a particular breakfast food you're fond of?"

The corner of Nathan's lips quirked upwards slightly as he answered.

"I love toast," he remarked, "but I was thinking more on the lines of spaghetti."

"Then yes, I could eat." Audrey easily replied.

She quickly dropped the clothes Julia'd lent her into the closet of her room(spare room, she mentally corrected), and began to make her way back to the kitchen.

She stopped dead in her tracks, silently admiring the swift movements of her partner while cooking, it seemed as if he was gliding on the hardwood floor. His Henley shirt made it difficult not to notice his built chest and lean torso.

Nathan, ignorant of Audrey's staring, turned around to get a spoon. The motion gave him a clear view of his partner's gawking.

From shock to a sliver of self-consciousness, Audrey abruptly bounced back to her usual nonchalance. There was a single sign of shame, her cheeks tinting lightly pink, but she disregarded it.

"Who knew you had finesse in the kitchen?" Audrey commented with a smirk.

Nathan thought better of answering verbally, and settled for a faint smile and rueful head shake in reply.

In a single fluid motion, Audrey hopped onto the counter, settling down in front of the bloated cabinet of ingredients behind her.

Letting her legs dangle freely, she watched Nathan stir what she assumed was the spaghetti.

"I don't think Philman had any real motive." Audrey stated, freeing her thoughts.

Nathan cocked a eyebrow, as he managed the stove.

"Think about it," she insisted, "no B&B, no chance for co-owner. It wouldn't make sense."

"He can't control his trouble," Nathan countered, "maybe he unintentionally set it ablaze from his anger with Helen."

"Why not set Rebecca's home on fire too then, if his trouble's activated due to anger? You saw how furious he was that she was inheriting the B&B." Audrey pressed.

Nathan mentally debated her theory.

"Once we go to the Inn, we can get more info." he settled.

"I hope so," she muttered.

Audrey examined Nathan, a pondering crease on his forehead.

"What's wrong, Wuornos?" she chirped.

"I need something," he simply stated, eying her.

Stalking towards her, Nathan stood directly in front of confused-looking Audrey.

The counter gave her the advantage, as she towered over Nathan by several inches, completely aware of every movement.

He slowly moved his head forward, as he reached out his hand, for what she thought was her face.

Audrey's throat closed up, as her breath hitched. Her eyes fluttered.

She was drawn out of her trance as she faintly heard the cabinet behind her open and close.

Turning around towards the cabinet and back, Nathan innocently stood in front of the stove again.

Oregano in hand.

"The sauce was bland," he commented, the ghost of a grin on his lips.

Audrey blinked twice, shrugging off her odd feeling.

This was Nathan, not a school-girl crush.

Close quarters were just messing with her mind, she assured herself confidently.

Nathan obviously hadn't thought anything of his movements, just a platonic gesture to get an herb.

"I'm going to go ahead and look at Philman's file, you know," she rambled, "look at the fire report, see if there's a connection."

She quickly jumped off the counter, and looked at her puzzled partner.

Audrey opened her mouth for seconds, before closing it again. Thinking better of saying anything impulsively, she power walked towards her room, leaving a quizzical Nathan behind.

* * *

Head resting against the wooden post of the bed, Audrey stretched her legs as she studied the case file.

From seeing Cletus Philman's file, she didn't see anything shady.

No expunged or sealed information. No convictions of any crime whatsoever. Philman had a squeaky clean file.

Examining the fire report, Audrey felt perplexed.

No cause of the fire was found.

No matches.

No gas leak.

No electrical issue.

Nothing.

She was sure it was a Trouble that caused the fire, but now she was positive.

Her stomach growled, and she promised herself only five minutes longer before she'd head towards the kitchen.

As she twirled a tendril of her blonde hair, she heard Nathan gently knock.

"No need to knock," she stated as Nathan walked inside, "it's your place."

"Your room though," he countered, blue eyes piercing her, "food's ready."

"Find anything?" Nathan asked, nodding towards the files spread out on the bed.

"Yup," she replied, popping the 'p'.

Nathan curiously raised his eyebrows, expectantly waiting.

Audrey patted her stomach with a smirk, as she neatly closed the case files.

"My appetite," she remarked, as she headed towards the doorway.

Unintentionally, she leaned her body in towards Nathan to get by, her body heat brushing him.

Nathan felt shockwaves, as his partner's strands of hair flew across his face. Her heat practically seared his nerves back alive. He allowed himself that single moment of bliss, as it came and went.

As an oblivious Audrey walked towards the kitchen, Nathan followed behind.

He watched her face lighten up as she eyed the two plates of spaghetti on the table.

"This looks amazing," she softly mumbled.

Just the addition of candlelight would've made this extremely intimate, Audrey considered to herself before erasing the thought.

As they sat, a pleasurable silence filled the air.

Audrey's eyes widened in delight as she devoured a forkful of the pasta.

"You may have to kick me out," she said twirling her fork, "because if you cook like this, I may never leave."

Nathan's lips quirked upwards.

"If you're helping with the dishes after we eat, I couldn't care less." he responded, hating the clean-up.

"It's a done deal then," Audrey replied lightheartedly.

After finishing eating, as promised, Audrey washed the plates while Nathan dried.

Audrey couldn't stand how nice she found the domesticity.

She'd only stayed for a day currently, and she was already feeling an overwhelming sense of comfortableness.

She could get used to this, Audrey allowed herself to think as she watched Nathan wipe plates dry beside her.

After all dishes were wiped pure, the duo muttered a "Good night," to one another as they headed in their separate directions for the night.

Audrey changed back into more cozy clothes. So what if they happened to be what Nathan had lent her?

She threw her hair into a messy bun, as she settled under the covers.

She cursed the scent of Nathan lingering on the clothes she was wearing, blaming it for the light flutter in her stomach.

She ignored it, she knew throwing in more to her relationship with Nathan could ruin it beyond repair.

She couldn't bear that. And she wouldn't have to, she mentally added, so long as she steered clear of complications.

She allowed herself to drift off into slumber, knowing Teddy's Inn would have two new visitors the next day.

* * *

To Be Continued...


	6. Teddy's Inn

Author's Note: My longest chapter so far! :) A huge thanks to all encouragement to continue. Leaving this chapter to end on cliffhanger relating to the case! :D Don't worry, I won't make the wait too long, enjoy! :)

* * *

**She allowed herself to drift off into slumber, knowing Teddy's Inn would have two new visitors the next day.**

* * *

Audrey woke up the next morning earlier than usual.

Unintentionally of course, getting only a few hours a night, she valued her sleep.

After tossing and turning, she glanced at the clock.

She had a little less than a half hour until she'd normally get up.

Figuring to spend the time wisely, she decided to shower then, rather than in the evening like usual.

Audrey pulled out a pair of navy-colored jeans that slightly tightened from knee up, and a maroon-shaded Henley. The shirt was gifted to her from Julia, who'd gave her several more of the same brand.

"Trust me, you pull these off way better than me, keep 'em." Her friend had simply stated.

Audrey felt grateful to have a separate bathroom. If it was joined with Nathan, the downpour of the water from the shower head would surely wake him.

Grabbing a towel, she stepped into the bathroom.

* * *

After making sure the towel wrapped around her was tightly secure, Audrey walked back into her room.

She let her locks of hair loosely fall as they desired.

"Parker, wake up! We gotta head to Teddy's Inn, we're late!"

She hadn't locked the door, so when she heard the door knob turning, she panicked.

"Nathan! I'm not-"

Her words were lost as Nathan stood before her, fully dressed to head out.

He turned from annoyed at his glitching alarm clock, to extremely shocked as he took in Audrey's evident state of undress.

"-dressed." Audrey finished uselessly.

Nathan gulped, eyes widening as he took in her hands nervously adjusting the top of her towel several times.

His ears tinged pink, just as her cheeks had done the same.

Audrey knew this wasn't the first time he'd seen her with nothing but a towel. After all, he had been the one to cut her out of a cocoon.

But back then, they barely new one another.

She'd just seemed like nothing more than a good agent, who was a terrible driver(she didn't blame him, on that thought, they had met when she was halfway off a cliff).

He'd just seemed like nothing more than a stoic detective, who had an odd fetish for pancakes.

But now, after months, the same situation seemed extremely...intimate.

Now, Nathan closed his slightly ajar mouth(unaware his jaw had even dropped).

He quickly covered his eyes with his hand.

"I-sorry-didn't-" Muttering randomly, Nathan settled for small words he could manage to get out.

"You dress, I'll wait."

Ears now fully red, Nathan turned around back to the door.

Eyes still covered, his hip sharply hit the doorframe, but he kept his hand in place as he clumsily walked out.

Raising a hand to her flushed face, Audrey squeezed the bridge of her nose.

Turning towards the clock hanging on the wall, Audrey knew Nathan was right.

They were visibly tardy this morning.

What a way to start the day, she thought to herself.

* * *

Audrey walked out of the room, now fully dressed.

She approached Nathan, who was reading the earlier case file she'd been studying.

He hadn't noticed her presence, so she lightly cleared her throat.

Nathan jumped, and quickly turned towards her.

He looked at her now fully-clothed body, relieved.

"Sorry about that, I had no idea-" Nathan started to mutter before Audrey raised her hand kindly, motioning him for him to stop his pathetic explanation(which evidently made him look very uncomfortable). His ears that were slightly tinted pink, slowly lessened in color at her gesture.

"It's fine, really," Audrey mumbled with the addition of a small assuring smile, "I guess I just lost track of the time."

"Um, you ready to go, then?" She asked, hoping to smoothly change the subject.

Nathan happily obliged with her plan, nodding his head in confirmation to her question.

In their usual comfortable silence(that currently contained a touch of awkwardness), the duo headed into the Bronco. As the engine rumbled, the vehicle took the path towards Teddy's Local Inn.

* * *

The Bronco swiftly stopped in front of their destination.

Hopping out of the car, Audrey briefly examined the Inn.

She certainly saw the appeal of it. The place seemed to have a home-like feeling that seemed to relax.

As they walked in, the young man behind the table looked up.

He looked youthful, but the faint stubble made him seem in his late teens.

The lip piercing gave him a rebellious vibe, and he seemed to take pride in it as he scowled.

Nathan and Audrey approached the table, which he sat across from.

"Hello," he boredly stated, before reciting in a monotone voice,"Welcome to Teddy's Local Inn; where we like to make your stay as comfortable as we can. Would you like to book a room?"

"No thank you," Audrey replied with a general smile, "we're actually looking for someone who works here."

The boy's eyebrow quirked, signaling her to go on.

"Scott Pierson."

The boy gave a confused look for a moment, before settling with a smirk as he cockily responded.

"The one and only, at your service."

Now it was Audrey's turn to look surprised, though she had a faster recovery time.

Nathan felt slightly taken aback; he'd heard of the boy, just didn't know what he looked like. He had the image of a school boy in mind, not a teenage delinquent.

"Well Scott, we'd like to ask you some questions." Audrey stated, looking at him directly.

"Shoot," Scott replied, eying their holsters, "verbally that is."

Audrey sensed his impersonal behavior, she knew it all too well.

He'd lost someone, she could feel it.

Growing up in an orphanage gave her some intuition on other people's losses.

She managed to catch Nathan's eye as Scott played with a rubber band.

Without words, she signaled him that she'd take questioning him alone.

With an understanding nod, Nathan stepped away from the desk, heading towards the lobby area of the Inn.

"You're uncle owns this place, huh? That must be nice." Audrey inquired easily.

"Not really, he's an ass." Scott responded just as easily, barely looking up.

"Why're you here then?"

"Not by choice, I'll tell you that much."

Audrey mentally skimmed through her mind about what Scott Pierson's case file had said.

Ah, yes. She recalled it now.

'Father, unknown. Mother, deceased. Legal guardian, Theodore Pierson.'

"You went to see Cletus Philman yesterday?"

"Yeah, that's right." Scott lazily answered.

"If you don't mind me asking, for what?"

Scott head lifted, as he looked at Audrey.

"To talk," he stated simply.

"There's more to it than that, Audrey mentally acknowledged.

"Your uncle's Inn was rival to Helen Seymour's B&B," Audrey told him, though he of all people knew, "Atleast that's what Mr. Philman said. Do you know if he was doing anything to threaten the B&B?"

"The usual, threats to break contracts and what not." Scott stated, not looking fazed in the slightest at all.

"Cletus Philman told you he was doing this?" Audrey questioned with a quirked eyebrow.

"Who do you think pitched him the idea?"

Audrey had to admit, she didn't see that one coming.

The teenage boy in front of her merely glanced care freely at her, and back to the pencil he was twirling on his fingers.

"You gave him the idea to threaten the contracts?" Audrey directly asked in a firm tone.

"Ditto," Scott grinned.

* * *

To Be Continued...


	7. The Second Fire

Author's Note: Anybody watch 4x11? Amazing episode, can't believe we have to wait two weeks. D:

The ending of this chapter is rather predictable(if it isn't for you, I'm shocked ;P), but more intrigue of the case/Naudrey-ness to come!

* * *

**"You gave him the idea to threaten the contracts?" Audrey directly asked in a firm tone.**

**"Ditto," Scott grinned.**

* * *

Audrey's mind twisted and turned as she took a moment to ingest the information, slowly processing.

"Why?" She spoke the single word solidly. Hypothetically, if this kid did do something like that, she'd want to know his motive.

"Why?" Scott repeated, mocking a pondering expression.

She could tell he didn't care about anything anymore; and she related. Teenage years in an orphanage, made her indifferent. If she had even gotten arrested at the time, it wouldn't have fazed her. And obviously it didn't to Scott either.

"Mr. Philman obviously wants to be part owner of that B&B, everyone knows it. I just happen to want something that relates to that particular subject."

"And what might that be?" Audrey asked, curiosity brewing in her head.

"Mr. Philman, he's a rough dude. He'd end up making some rash decision, more like decisions, if he co-owned that place. He can't do business without shouting or proving someone wrong, that'd place be empty by the first week. He'd make the place sink for all it's worth."

Audrey narrowed her eyes, studying the confidence of the person sitting before her.

It would all be a cunning ploy, a win-win for both Philman and Scott's uncle.

Cletus Philman would get extra income(for however long he could keep the B&B running smoothly), while Teddy Pierson would be there to steal away the old clients, building up his Inn.

"Look kid," Audrey started, "you really think playing dirty is going to make your uncle proud?"

Scott practically snorted, letting out a throaty laugh.

"You think I did that for my uncle?" He asked, looking at her incredulously.

"Hell, you think he'd do anything for me?" He asked once more, this time with a sliver of anger.

"He took you in." Audrey softly murmered, a touch of wistfulness.

That was more than anyone had done for her during her childhood years.

Scott laughed once more, this time with a more bitter tone.

"More like he took in the money the state gives every month for him to provide for me, I was just a side-note."

Not wanting to tread in personal waters, Audrey managed to steer the conversation in a different direction.

"What was the point in helping Philman, then?"

"Everything I want." Scott stated with a tone of desire that crept in.

Audrey raised her eyebrows, silently willing him to continue.

"Ted blames me for how dead this place. I apparently am an 'ungrateful, useless punk, that can't do anything right'. Obviously the lobby boy screws the whole place up, right?" Scott eyes flashed something unreadable, before he regained his composure.

Audrey felt sympathy for him, knowing how hard it must be for him. At the orphanage, there were kids that were dropped off there simply because of similar reasons.

Staring at the pencil he was twirling around, he continued.

"If Mr. Philman sank the B&B, this hellhole would have golden income. Ted told me once he got good, steady revenue from this place, he'd release me my trust fund early."

Audrey considered the facts, weighing them down one by one.

"Trust fund?"

"My mom-" Scott's eyes glistened, but he furiously blinked several times.

Audrey wanted to reach out a comforting hand, but thought better of it.

She also knew one thing about loss; after it, you're not the same.

You don't open yourself up as much, don't want to get too close.

Scott began his sentence again, this time his voice didn't crack.

"My mom had one made for me before I was even born. I can have access to it once I'm 21. But with some help from my 'Legal Guardian', I can get it open now, at 17."

"What's the rush?" Audrey asked gently.

"Isn't it obvious?" Scott exclaimed.

"I'm done," he stated, a determined expression building, "done living with a deadbeat, done with this-" Scott wildly gestured with his hands as he eyed the walls of the Inn, "-place. I'm skipping town after that trust-fund is opened."

"I got into a college out of Maine," Scott muttered, "and I'm going. Gonna live on campus, in a dorm.

Playing with his lip piercing, the teenager looked up at Audrey.

"Was that a thorough enough answer for your one word question, Detective?" Scott inquired, usual indifference returning.

"Actually, yes, it was. Thanks for your time, Scott." She replied, a understanding smile on her face.

Heading towards the lobby to try and find Nathan, he met her halfway.

Ending the call to whoever he was talking to, Nathan looked up at her a troubled expression on face.

"I found out some interesting stuff from Scott." Audrey stated, looking questioningly at Nathan's phone.

"You can tell me on the way to Philman's place," Nathan responded as they headed towards the exit door, "that was Laverne."

"Philman? We got some evidence relating to him?" Audrey curiously asked.

"He's dead."

Audrey sat shocked, as she settled into the seat of the Bronco.

"It was a fire, wasn't it?" She silently inquired.

Nathan confirmed with a nod of his head, as he drove to the man's home they'd been at no less than 24 hours ago.

* * *

Standing in front of the house they'd been to earlier, Nathan and Audrey surveyed its damage. Similar to the B&B, it looked completely and utterly destroyed. The only difference, Audrey thought grimly, was that a man died.

Nathan watched Audrey examine thoroughly at the remains of the fire.

He knew she shouldn't feel responsible, but he didn't know if _she_ knew it.

The firemen were still hosing the place down, miniature flames were spread here and about. Smoke was building by the second, more and more.

Staring throughout the rubble, Audrey knew it was pointless, she wouldn't find anyth-wait.

She saw something, a baby's bottle.

Audrey frowned.

Philman didn't have any grandchildren, or children for that matter(or so his file said).

Thinking back to the previous day, she and Nathan hadn't noticed a bottle yesterday on the front porch.

There hadn't been one there.

Someone visited Philman, someone they needed to know about.

Most likely the last person to see him alive.

A potential suspect maybe.

Something seemed to be scrawled on the side of it.

Squinting her eyes, Audrey couldn't tell.

She knew she had to get a better look at it.

Stretching her arm as much as physically possible, it was useless.

The inner wall of the house dispersed, leaving around large pieces of huge wood.

Unfortunately, the bottle lay in the center of the rubble.

"You find something?" Nathan asked curiously, as he walked up from behind her.

"Yeah, but," Audrey replied with a tinge of annoyance, "I can't reach it."

Nathan gently tugged her aside, as he stepped forward.

Moving pieces of wood to the side carelessly, Nathan pushed an extremely large piece to the side with great force.

Audrey forced herself to ignore the little strip of skin the back of his shirt revealed, focusing intently on what he'd find instead.

Letting his hand down, the object was finally in reach.

"Nathan," Audrey spoke cautiously.

She didn't want him to injure himself. Knowing him, he'd brush it off as nothing.

"It's fine, I got it," Nathan assured.

Squinting at the half-scraped off writing on the bottle, Nathan registered it suddenly.

"Henry," Nathan read.

"Nathan," Audrey spoke, tone rising in alarm.

"Parker, what else could it say so clearly?" Nathan pressed, mistaking her worry for denial.

"Nathan! Look down!" Audrey practically shouted now, as a confused Nathan obliged.

Bewilderment turned to grim understanding, as Nathan saw his tattered and bloodied shirt.

* * *

To Be Continued...


	8. Temporary Nurse

Author's Note: Thank you for all the reviews/follows. They're what's encouraged me to keep going. :)

Nice foreshadowing, Peacockgirl. ;)

* * *

**Bewilderment turned to grim understanding, as Nathan saw his tattered and bloodied shirt. **

* * *

Glancing down at his shirt, Nathan felt more annoyed than worried.

Doing something as simple as retrieving a baby bottle could get him injured, and he wouldn't even know it.

Dropping the bottle into a evidence bag, Stan (who'd been called down) took it back to the station.

"We should get you to the hospital," Audrey pressed for the third time, anxiousness seeping into her tone.

The firemen were busy clearing up, the fire now gone to reveal a wreckage of what used to be a home.

"Parker, it's just a few scratches." Nathan replied, hoping his nonchalance eased her slightly.

It didn't.

"It's not, and you know it," Audrey responded, words now laced with anger, "just because you can't feel it doesn't mean it's not bad."

"I'll just fix it up later, no hospital involved." Nathan stated easily.

"Later? It's still bleeding!" Audrey exclaimed.

"Parker, I'm fine." Nathan answered, assurance in his voice.

He would be lying if he said he didn't appreciate her fussing over him, though he kept that thought quiet.

They walked in silence, though he could practically hear Audrey's mind at work.

"You have a first aid kit in here, right?" Audrey firmly questioned, as they walked towards the Bronco.

"I really don't-"

"Either you use a first aid kit, or I'm dragging you to the hospital, Wuornos." Audrey interrupted with a flare of finality.

With a defeated sigh, he gestured to the glove compartment.

Grabbing the kit, Audrey ignored Nathan's open and inviting hand.

Nodding at the hood of the Bronco, her eyes silently commanded him to sit.

Nathan reluctantly obliged, still a bit hesitant.

As Audrey stepped easily between his legs, he opened his mouth to protest.

Nathan tried to ignore how easily she fit, like a perfect match.

Getting this close to one another would lead to trouble (no pun intended). The last thing he wanted to do was make Audrey uncomfortable.

"I can do it myself," Nathan started with a sheepish smile, "I've had more practice than you."

"Ha ha," Audrey responded, with a lack of humor.

"You'll take 45 seconds at max, to use this-" She nodded at the first aid kit she began opening, "-when you should take at least 15 minutes."

Nathan silently cursed himself for using the first aid kit in front of her before.

She was right.

He'd usually just randomly splash some rubbing alcohol to make her satisfied.

45 seconds, he thought to himself, that was longer than his usual ten seconds. Though he was smart enough to keep his mouth shut about that thought.

A firm tugging at the hem of his shirt made Nathan snap out of his thoughts.

Nathan raised an eyebrow in silent question as Audrey persisted.

"Take your shirt off," She solidy stated, a determined expression on cue.

"Um," Nathan managed to respond before his ears flushed.

Nathan stood frozen, simply watching her expression which was unwavering.

"As much as I'd love for this to be strip tease, we're on a tight schedule." Audrey blurted out, impatience simmering.

Her eyes widened with realization.

Mentally kicking herself, she willed herself to resist freeing her thoughts in the future.

Her cheeks now matched his ears in color.

Though her outburst embarrassed her, it had the opposite effect on Nathan.

Biting back a laugh, Nathan ignored the urge to tease her.

Swiftly, he pulled off his shirt in a single fluid motion.

Maybe during different circumstances, Audrey would lustfully gawk at his chest.

But seeing the blood streaming down his deep cuts were enough to make her remain focused.

Getting a cloth, she gently pressed it to Nathan's cuts with the purpose of stopping the bleeding.

With that done and the blood wiped clean, she tenderly wiped rubbing alcohol.

Nathan glanced down at her careful, soft movements. Feeling a swell of gratitude surge through him, Nathan's lips quirked upwards.

Unknowingly, Nathan was moving around.

"Stay still," Audrey gently chided, as her hand held his bare waist to enforce her words.

Nathan gave a light gasp in response, trying to ignore the feeling of her soft touch.

He dug his feet deeper into the ground as he sat, trying to remain steady. Trying to remain in control of his actions.

Audrey looked up ignorantly, observing Nathan's face.

His usual stoic-ness was replaced with a raw expression of something unreadable.

He was already looking at her, she silently realized, as she examined his parted lips and beaming blue eyes.

The expression was there for a moment, before he quickly gained back his composure, like a shutter had been lowered over him.

Slightly confused, Audrey looked back down, as she began bandaging up his wounds.

Finishing up in silence, Audrey gave his abdominal muscles one last pat(to signal she was done, not because she simply wanted to touch him again, she assured herself), as she allowed herself several steps away from his body to clear her head. The rubbing alcohol had gotten to her, she thought to herself forcefully.

Nathan grabbed a spare shirt he kept in the truck, pulling it over his head.

"You think I'll live, Doc?" Nathan asked, his lips quirking.

"If you listen to your wise partner, yes." Audrey replied, her expression mirroring his.

Nathan gave her an exaggerated comical look in response, before Audrey amusingly flicked the back of his neck.

Letting out a deep chuckle, Nathan glanced back at the damage done to Philman's house.

"We have to go see them again," Audrey stated as she watched his gaze.

Knowing she was referring to the Seymours, Nathan nodded. Looking back at her, his ocean-shaded irises twinkling.

"Do you think we should see Teddy, too?"

"Yeah, he might know something," Audrey agreed.

"Could also let us know if Scott was telling the truth," Nathan remarked, recalling the ride there, when Audrey was enlightening him about their earlier conversation.

"He's telling the truth." Audrey confidently responded, no doubt wavering.

Call it a gut feeling, or intuition, but she just knew.

Nathan raised an eyebrow, challenging her statement.

"He's got nothing left to lose," Audrey replied with a soft edge to her understanding tone, "No parents. No siblings. He just wants a good life, in a place where he can call home."

Nathan watched as she averted his gaze.

He maybe be oblivious when women were flirting with him, but he wasn't clueless to the fact that they weren't just talking about Scott here.

"Maybe he hasn't got any known good family," Nathan began while staring intently at the rubble, "but he sure as hell has to have a friend or two."

Audrey froze, annoyed that she'd gotten so noticeably personal. Remaining silent, she slowly turned to Nathan, who now locked her gaze, continuing on.

"And he'll find that good life as he gets older, in a place he'll hopefully call home."

Audrey replied with a grateful smile, knowing the time Scott was the subject passed.

"That place and life will probably be in Maine as a small town cop," Nathan stated as his lips quirked upwards, "where he'll be annoyingly witty and very demanding."

Audrey gave a light laugh, ruefully shaking her head, as they hopped into the Bronco.

"I bet his partner has a great poker face," Audrey commented, voice laced with humor, "but probably has the irritating habit of getting himself hurt."

"That guy seems amazing." Nathan dead panned.

"He's okay, I guess," Audrey grinned, as Nathan raised an eyebrow in her direction.

"Debatable," he simply replied, eyes focused on the road ahead.

Their witty banter continued, all the way on the ride back to Nathan's home.

* * *

To Be Continued...


	9. Julia's Visit

Author's Note: I'm hopefully going to add more Duke and Julia in later chapters. Trust me, I haven't forgotten about those two. ;) Please give me any helpful feedback on Julia if you'd like! :) It's been awhile since she's been on the show, so I'm hoping I'm not OOC too badly from what I remember of her character a couple years ago. Enjoy, and leave me reviews to let me know what you think so far!

* * *

**Their witty banter continued, all the way on the ride back to Nathan's home.**

* * *

Once entering his bungalow, Nathan lazily sprawled out on the couch, studying the now rather thick files they had relating to the case.

"You hungry, still?" Audrey questioned, with a nod in his direction.

Nathan shook his head; before heading back, they'd stopped at The Grey Gull, snagging some food from Duke.

"I'll bill you later, Officer Parker," he'd winked, though he wouldn't.

"Hey, um," Audrey now awkwardly started, looking at Nathan.

Confused but intriguied, he replied with a questioning "Yeah?".

"I was hoping I could borrow a couple pairs of shirts and sweats from you," Audrey mumbled as she scratched the back of her neck, "you know, temporarily."

Vigorously nodding, Nathan muttered a "of course,", as he sped towards his room.

Within seconds, he returned with a heap of his comfortable clothes piled in his hands.

"Just until I get time to buy some of my own," Audrey added with a grateful smile.

"It's fine, really," Nathan assured, as he handed her the pile.

And it was honestly fine, Nathan thought to himself as Audrey went to her room to put the clothes away.

He rather enjoyed it, actually.

The way she'd just casually strut in one of his old t-shirts, the way she'd constantly fold up his large sweats to go no lower than her ankle.

Returning from her short excursion, Audrey sat down on the chair opposite from Nathan, as she swiped one case file from his large stack.

Watching her, Nathan observed she studied the file, before persistently looking at the front door.

After at least the fifth time she'd done so, Nathan raised his eyebrows.

"What is it?" He inquired, looking from the door to her.

He barely finished his question, before he heard a knock on the door.

Before he could register anything, a relieved-looking Audrey invited in Julia Carr.

"Either you were stuck in traffic, or you drive like an 80 year old man." Audrey greeted with a grin, as she helped Julia with the bags in her hand.

"Ha ha," Julia replied without mirth, though she mirrored Audrey's expression, "you know Haven doesn't have traffic, and I drive at a good pace, thank you very much."

"Julia," Nathan greeted, nodding at her with a small smile.

"Nathan," Julia replied back, "I heard from a certain blonde that you got yourself bruised yet again."

Nathan raised an eyebrow towards Audrey, who looked back with the same amount of challenge.

"I'm sure it was a shocking bit of news," Audrey answered sarcastically, amusement in her eye.

"Just a scratch or two," Nathan responded, shrugging it off.

Audrey snorted at his nonchalance.

"You got the stuff?" Audrey questioned to Julia, gesturing towards the bags.

"Yup," Julia responded, taking out the items inside the bags.

"Some Vitamin A & D Ointment and rubbing alcohol gifted to a special someone," Julia stated, showing off the medicial cream and rubbing alcohol in Nathan's direction.

Nathan stared at the items, looking from Julia to Audrey.

"You know I don't need any of that, right?" He remarked while shaking his head, his tone seeping with incredulous.

"Yeah," Audrey replied confidently, "you do. Again, you're not the Man of Steel, Wuornos."

"Come on, I can't feel the pain," Nathan said, shooting her a 'you-have-got-to-be-kidding-me' look, "that is if there even is any." he added.

"It'll help heal the cuts," she answered, no willingness to him in expression, "don't care if you can't feel it."

Opening and closing his mouth as if to press her more, Nathan exhaled slowly.

"Fine," he grumbled, while lowering his head in loss.

"Good," Audrey chirped, now looking towards Julia who'd been examining their banter, curiously.

It's like a ping pong ball being bounced back and forth, Julia thought to herself, watching them.

Audrey raised an eyebrow in her direction, in silent question.

Managing to surpress a laugh, Julia simply shook her head with a smile.

"Be right back, I'll put this away," Audrey gestured to the medical remedies.

Walking off toward the cabinet, she left Julia and Nathan.

"So, what's it like having Audrey stay here?" Julia questioned, mirth in her voice.

"You know," Nathan vaguely began, looking rather uncomfortable, "it's good."

"Come on Nathan," Julia insisted, laughing when he looked up at her confused.

"You telling me you haven't made a move?" Julia bluntly responded, raising an amused eyebrow.

She'd known Nathan awhile, since Eleanor knew Garland.

She knew Nathan'd be too reserved to do something like that, but helping things move towards the right path would help.

You'd be an idiot not to see the way they looked at each other.

Their cluelessness about their chemistry was hysterical, it was obvious to everyone but them.

Besides, she knew her statement would make him squirm with awkwardness. Teasing him about his partner was always fun, just like she'd do for Audrey.

Unfortunately for Julia, Audrey quickly returning made Nathan cease his squirming.

"You staying for awhile?" Audrey asked, looking at Julia welcomingly.

"No can do," Julia replied apologetically, "paperwork can't fill itself out, maybe another time." She promised, making Audrey nod.

"Did you bring that other special stuff?" Audrey questioned, a glint of eagerness in her eyes.

Wordlessly, Julia pulled out a tray of cupcakes, the side clearly stating Rosemary's.

"Thank you, Julia," she grinned, desire now sparking in her stomach.

"No big," Julia stated as Audrey walked her to the door.

"Thanks for all that stuff, Julia," Nathan nodded at her, ignoring her previous comment.

"No problem," she smiled.

Exchanging some last few words with Audrey, she headed out, locking the door on her way out.

"Nice of her to stop by," Nathan stated, looking at Audrey.

"Yeah," she nodded, grabbing her package of cupcakes.

Eagerly stealing one from the pack, she held it out to Nathan invitingly wordlessly.

"No thanks," Nathan responded, lips quirking, "I'll stick with pancakes."

"Suit yourself," Audrey answered, in a sing-song voice, shaking her head at him.

"We need to go to Helen's tomorrow," Nathan commented, trying to ignore the way Audrey was indulging in her snack.

"You got it, Partner," Audrey replied, licking creamy frosting of her finger, "we also need to put some of that ointment on you."

"Let's not, and say we did," Nathan dead panned.

"No way, Wuornos," Audrey told him, "and I'm doing it, because I know you won't, or you'll-" using air quotes, she motioned, "-forget."

Not bothering to say anything more, Nathan simply nodded in defeat.

Ignoring his annoying injuries, he knew one thing surely.

The Seymours probably wouldn't be expecting their second visit.

* * *

To Be Continued...


	10. The Bottle Explanation

Author's Note: I just want to say thanks to all the new reviewers/followers of this fanfic so far. They are truly what's keeping me writing. :)

* * *

**The Seymours probably wouldn't be expecting their second visit.**

* * *

The next morning, after changing back into work clothes and eating their breakfast, Nathan headed towards the front door.

After noticing that he was walking there alone, he turned around, only to see Audrey simply staring at him with an eyebrow raised.

New medical ointment and rubbing alcohol in hand.

She comfortably sat on the counter top, making no attempt to move towards him exiting.

"Parker," Nathan practically pleaded, motioning towards the door.

"Wuornos," she mocked back to him, motioning towards the items she held.

Knowing she wouldn't let up, he sighed as he approached her with an open hand.

Audrey looked down at his inviting offer, and let out a laugh, making Nathan feel a bit quizzical.

"If you use this," she pointed to the ointment to answer his confused expression,"the same way you use a first aid kit, which you do, you're not doing it."

"Come on," Nathan replied, frustrated that she didn't waver a bit, "Seriously?"

"As a heart attack," she confirmed, nudging his navy blue casual dress shirt, that looked like it stepped straight out of a Men's Wearhouse ad.

Hesitantly, Nathan slowly undid the buttons to his shirt, directing his gaze only to them.

Audrey watched him for a moment, feeling her equilibrium almost fail her.

Luckily the counter top she was sitting on wouldn't abruptly fail her like her legs threaten to.

Still standing before her, as he finished with the buttons, Nathan took it off.

Revealing a tight white undershirt.

It was hard not to gawk at it, Audrey thought.

It's stretched-ness made his lean muscles and built chest peek out alluringly.

Nathan glanced up at her for a moment, before looking back down sheepishly.

He really has no idea how attractive he is, Audrey thought, almost laughing out loud at the absurdity of the fact.

In a single motion, he pulled the shirt off.

Studying his earlier injuries, she noticed they still looked fresh.

No bleeding, thankfully.

But no blood was more distracting, since it gave her a better view of his body.

His muscles were well defined, though not too sharply angular, which she admired.

His abs were nicely built, she could almost whistle aloud.

Nathan looked down at her, closely watching her expression, though she hadn't a clue.

She licked her lips involuntarily.

Her eyes raked him slowly.

Her breathing was ragged, but quiet.

Nathan covered his shocked feeling, as he examined her silently.

He knew other women would look at him with the same expression, though usually he was oblivious.

He'd always felt curious but grateful towards his partner, who he thought would never gawk at him like half of the women in town.

But now, here was Audrey Parker with the same look.

He wasn't mad or upset, he was more intrigued(and though he wouldn't admit it, flustered).

Audrey may be immune to The Troubles, but she certainly wasn't to him.

Audrey quickly got a grip of reality outside of her trance, shaking her head at herself.

Masculinity is nice to look at, she scolded herself, but not when it's your partner, who's waiting for you to put medical ointment on him.

Nathan.

Her partner, she tried engraving in her mind, not some piece of man candy.

Looking into his eyes with what she hoped was lack of interest, she gave a small smile.

"Not bleeding now at least," she muttered, while opening the ointment.

"Good to hear," Nathan mumbled back, just as quietly.

Not wanting to stay in this awkward predicament for too long, Audrey managed to smear the cream on his wounds without another lustful stare.

Nathan also managed to control the little gasp he almost elicited, due to her feather light touches.

After several minutes of strained silence, she finally spoke.

"There," Audrey stated with an air of completeness, as she tighten the lid of the ointment.

With a millisecond of hesitation that was unnoticeable, Nathan moved away from her closeness with a muttered "thanks,", allowing Audrey to wipe her hands pure of the cream.

"Now," she said, stretching the word out as she walked towards the door, "we can go."

* * *

As Nathan parked the Bronco in front of the Seymour residence, the duo hopped out of the truck.

Giving a firm knock on the front door, Helen answered.

"Why, hello again," she greeted with a kind smile.

"Helen," Audrey replied, as Nathan nodded and muttered a "Mrs. Seymour," respectfully.

"Well come in!" Helen exclaimed, leading them into the living room.

"Rebecca just went out for some errands. That is after she got Henry to nap." Helen explained, not noticing Nathan's slight slump of shoulders at her second sentence.

Exchanging a silent glance, the duo sat down across from the the woman.

"We need to talk about Cletus Philman," Audrey cautiously told Helen.

"Yes, well I read about his death," Helen answered, clucking her tongue sympathetically, "how awful."

Audrey nodded in agreement.

The Teagues had written about it in the Haven Herald.

An 'accidental fire caused by a gas leak in the house' the paper stated.

Wonder how many times they've used that one, Audrey pondered humorously.

"I never liked the man," Helen admitted, "but that's simply a terrible way to go."

"Yes, it is." Audrey concurred.

"Are the B&B and his house fire connected?" Helen asked, curiosity piqued.

She knew the B&B was gone, but she still wanted closure.

She wanted to know who was setting off these gas leaks, or whatever it was.

She wanted justice for that criminal.

And most of all, she wanted to know who exactly that criminal was.

"From what we know so far," Audrey answered vaguely, "no."

"Mrs. Seymour," Nathan interrupted, "we found something at the wreckage of Philman's home."

Helen sat up a little straighter in her seat.

"What is it? Do you know who destroyed the B&B?"

"No," Nathan replied, "we found a bottle."

"A...bottle?"

"Exactly," he stated, watching her expression closely to see if it would give anything away, "A baby bottle. Light blue. With the name Henry written on it."

Nathan let his words sink in one by one.

Helen changed from confusion to understanding in a matter of seconds.

"Yes, well I suppose that fell out of my purse when I went to visit Cletus," she replied calmly, with no hesitance of a lie in tone.

As she gave a small smile at her next words, she added, "Being a grandmother now, I always carry a bottle, a toy or two, and some diapers for my grandson in my purse."

"I see," Audrey nodded, it made sense. She certainly could see the logical reasoning behind her answer. That is, with one thing cleared.

"Why did you go see Philman?" Audrey inquired, an eyebrow raised.

"The B&B is gone," Helen stated the fact clearly with a sadness in her eye, "and so was his pestering with it."

The duo both looked at her, watching the old woman twiddle her fingers, as she played with her antique engagement ring.

Not quite meeting their eyes, she continued.

"I guess," she began, "I thought we could bury the hatchet. I'm not known for holding grudges, or arguing with someone over something that's destroyed, gone." Helen's voice broke at the last word, the B&B in mind.

"So, did he agree?" Audrey questioned gently, "Did he end the visit on good terms?"

Helen gave a weak smile to her, shaking her head.

"I'm afraid not. He was pig-headed, that Cletus Philman."

Helen recalled vividly the way he'd responded to her words.

"You want to 'bury the hatchet', Helen?" He had sneered, as she nodded.

"Well, that hatchet will stay right above ground," He chuckled at her, "a pathetic move. That's what you made coming here. I hope you're happy about what happened to your precious B&B, you got what was coming at you. You got what you deserved."

Helen sullenly repeated his exact words to the duo, feeling her skin flush from anger.

Nathan clenched his jaw involuntarily, as Audrey felt her back stiffen at the horrible statements.

"Helen," Audrey answered kindly, "I'm sorry to hear that."

"You and me both," Helen stated with an unreadable laugh, "When I told Rebecca, she was simply furious. Same as me."

Nathan nodded, understanding the difficulty it must have taken to bite her tongue at the awful words thrown at her.

"Is there anything at all you feel significant, or even anyone's name, that Philman gave away to you while you were there?" Nathan questioned.

Brow furrowing in thought, Helen tried recalling the previous event from the other day in detail.

"Well, he said that a bar buddy had wanted the B&B gone, and was glad that it was now."

Nathan and Audrey exchanged a silent glance, curiosity brewing.

"Did he by chance give a name?" Nathan asked.

"Of course he did, couldn't resist making me suspiciously anxious. Holt, Jacob Holt."

* * *

To Be Continued...


	11. Evidently No Damsel In Distress

Author's Note: Here's a little bit of Duke in this chapter. :D Let me know how I did writing him, hoping I wasn't OOC. Review and let me know about your favorite line/scene in this chapter if you'd like! :)

* * *

**"Of course he did, couldn't resist making me suspiciously anxious. Holt, Jacob Holt."**

* * *

After giving their thanks to Helen, the two partners now drove towards the direction of The Grey Gull.

They were going to head towards Jacob Holt's after, since Laverne had given them his address.

"He's a barfly, hon'," she'd answered, "better check the local pub before heading to his home."

But for now, their hunger would be settled by the late afternoon lunch.

* * *

"Here you go," Nora commented, as she plopped their orders in front of the duo.

"Thanks Nora," Audrey replied gratefully before the employee headed off. She then began adding some hot sauce to her steaming taco.

The pleasant silence that fell between her and Nathan felt nice, felt comfortable.

Thankfully the awkwardness from the morning had dissipated...for now at least.

Ah, Audrey sighed mentally, Taco Tuesdays.

Nathan began to move his meal towards his mouth, before Audrey quickly grabbed his hand.

"Give it a minute," she smiled, cradling his wrist, "it's hot."

"Thanks," Nathan muttered, trying to calm his composure that was willing to break at her mere fingers.

The two watched her hand, fingers still tenderly wrapped around his wrist.

A slightly trembling wrist, though it was rather unnoticeable to her. Maybe not so much to Nathan. Of course he wasn't planning on making it common knowledge to her.

Hadn't needed to hold on to him for more than a second to stop his ignorant movement, Audrey scolded herself.

She hesitantly let go as Nathan watched her, blue eyes unreadable, shaking her head at her own foolishness.

Luckily, she didn't have to fabricate a pathetic excuse for her behavior, since someone familiar then made their presence known to the duo.

"Well, if it isn't Haven's finest," A particular voice announced, "Officer Parker, Tin Man."

"Duke," Audrey greeted warningly, as she eyed the two men before her. Nathan gruffly nodded in acknowledgment.

Duke sat down in front of them, usual 'cat-ate-the-canary' grin plastered on.

"So, what's up with these local fires, Detectives?" he chirped.

Audrey rolled her eyes. She had told him about the fact that she was now staying at Nathan's, since the fire consumed the B&B.

With a mockingly suspicious expression, he looked to his left, then right. Duke leaned forward to the duo as he used a conspiracy-like whisper.

"Does Haven have its first pyromaniac?"

"Maybe," Audrey laughed as she took a sip of her drink, after lowering her voice, she amended, "but we think it's a Trouble."

"Of course it is," Duke stated, eyes glinting with humor, "when is it not?"

"You never know," Audrey remarked, knowing her words were unfortunately untrue, "could just be some good old-fashioned arson."

Nathan's lips quirked upwards at her comment, and Duke turned the conversation towards him.

"Catch any wrong-doers lately, Tin Man?" Duke mocked, ignoring the look Audrey sent him.

"Depends," Nathan countered, not bothering to look up from his nearly finished food, "Smuggle any contraband, lately?"

Lost for a retort, Duke gave a sheepish smile.

"Touché, my friend," he finally settled for, as he stood up.

Audrey shook her head at the two of them, amused.

"Let us know if you hear any chatter about those fires here, Duke," Audrey interrupted, a couple bites left of her food, "and I don't mean gossip."

"Will do, Nancy Drew," Duke good-naturedly vowed, as he eyed the surrounding crowd inside the Gull.

"See you later then, Officers," he nodded in their direction, as he walked away.

"You ready?" Nathan asked, as he brushed some crumbs off his jeans.

"Yeah," Audrey answered, downing the last few sips of her drink.

Before she could protest, Nathan slapped a paper bill down on the table.

Audrey raised an annoyed eyebrow at him, to which he simply shrugged.

"Next time," Nathan promised as he always did(thought he usually broke his promise), "this one's on me."

"Next time," Audrey firmly repeated, staring him down.

"Come on," he urged towards the door, "let's head to the local pub."

He was hoping to distract her from their disagreement.

It worked.

* * *

The moment they walked into the pub, it was a cliché.

The atmosphere seemed slightly thick, clad with the smoke fumes of smokers inside.

The pool table seemed largely occupied, bets being made increasingly.

The clinking of glass, the fizz of the alcohol, was all heard clearly.

Nathan and Audrey took it all in, while surveying the room for the man known as Jacob Holt.

Sure enough, they found the brown-eyed, shaggy-haired man sitting across from the bartender.

"Fill 'er up," Holt stated, slamming his mug down, after swallowing the last of his drink.

"Jacob Holt?" Nathan asked, no hesitancy in tone.

"That'd be me." Holt answered, not looking up from his now refilled mug.

"We'd like to ask you a few questions," Audrey replied, shoving her badge in his face, so he'd finally acknowledge their presence.

"Ask away," He answered, a drowsy expression on face.

"You knew Cletus Philman?"

Not bothering to answer verbally, Holt nodded.

"You told him you were glad that the B&B was gone?"

"Yup," he stated carelessly, popping the 'p'.

"Why was that?"

"That place, reminds me of-"

He broke off, staring helplessly at his drink.

"It reminds you of what, Jacob?" Audrey asked quietly, not harshly as to upset him.

"Of," he took a deep breath, "of bad memories."

"Care to clarify?" Nathan now questioned, gruffness in check.

"When I was with my wife," Holt answered before downing a drink, "whenever we'd fight or argue, she'd go stay at that place."

Audrey raised an eyebrow to Nathan, unknown to the man.

She wouldn't deny it was sad, but would that be enough of a motive?

"I'm sorry," she apologized, for those negative memories he had.

"I went there once when she was staying there," Holt continued, ignoring her comment as if he hadn't heard it, "to apologize. A bouquet of roses and box of chocolates in hand, wearing a new suit...had even shaved."

He raised a hand to his scratchy beard, staring down a drink.

Audrey held her breath, guessing what happened.

"Infidelity, she was full of it." Holt cursed, something wildly violent twinkling in his eyes.

"That's awful," Audrey told him sympathetically, "I'm so sorry."

Now finally meeting their gaze, he simply watched the duo.

"You leaving to let me enjoy my drink, now?" His gaze hardening in response to her kindness.

The two exchanged a wordless conversation, to see if they needed to ask more questions.

They probably did, but the man wasn't even fully sober.

They'd come back later if need be.

Exiting from the bar, Nathan had lagged behind to give Holt his number.

"Hey there," a random man greeted to Audrey, the scent of alcohol on his breath.

His eyes disgustingly raked her up and down.

"Buy you a drink?" He asked, moving a step closer.

Audrey looked up at the man.

"No thanks," she responded, as kindly as her rising annoyance level allowed her to.

Nathan had just given Holt the station's number, heading towards Audrey now.

As he was a couple yards away, his eyes narrowed, as he now noticed the pestering man in front of his partner.

She began heading towards the door, though he stepped in her path abruptly, blocking her way.

He grabbed her upper arm, tightly with his grimy hand. Very tightly.

"Just one drink," he pressed, rubbing his securely grasped hand up and down her arm in a revolting manner.

"Get your goddamn hands of her, or I swear-" Nathan began to growl angrily(standing before them now), as he planned to step in front of Audrey protectively.

Nathan's possessive and indignant threat was cut off by Audrey's quick actions.

She grabbed the man firmly by the shoulder, as she roughly kneed him in the groin.

He slouched visibly, bending himself forward as he hissed in pain.

"Would you like me to do that again?" Audrey asked sweetly, eyes focused on the man before her.

Panting from visible discomfort, he managed to croak out a "no,".

"Sorry," Audrey replied as she kneed him once more before letting go, then calmly brushing her hands off(as if from imaginary dirt), "like you, I don't understand what 'no' means."

Without another backwards glance to the man now doubled over in pain, she turned to Nathan.

"Took you long enough," she easily stated, taking in his widened eyes and slightly gaping mouth with a feeling of amusement.

The duo headed out the door, walking to the Bronco in silence.

Audrey caught just one of the several times Nathan glanced in her direction.

"What?" She finally questioned, as they sat in the Bronco.

"That was," he paused, searching for the right words, "incredibly badass."

Suddenly feeling a bit self-conscious at her actions, she light-heartedly laughed and muttered a "Thanks,".

"Thanks for coming to my rescue too," Audrey good-naturedly teased, after a moment or two had passed, "though _evidently_ I'm not some damsel in distress."

She teased to dissipate the tenseness, but she truly was thankful.

The gratefulness in her humorous tone conveyed that much.

She wondered what his threat was before she quickly took care of the situation.

Lips quirked upwards and blue eyes glinting with laughter, Nathan glanced at her for a moment, before turning back towards the road.

"_Evidently_ not."

The witty banter returned, as the two drove to the next person they wanted to question; Theodore Pierson.

* * *

To Be Continued...


	12. The Uncle And Nephew

Author's Note: I know I wrote a scene of Scott and Audrey interacting, but I wanted to play with the dynamic of him and Nathan as well. Let me know how I did!

* * *

**The witty banter returned, as the two drove to the next person they wanted to question; Theodore Pierson.**

* * *

Getting out of the Bronco, the duo knocked on the door of the home address of Pierson.

"Theodore Pierson?" Nathan inquired, to the black-haired man that answered.

"Yes?" He asked back, examining their holsters.

"Could we ask you a few questions?"

"Um," he stated, feeling uncomfortable, "I can't see why not."

With one hand, he opened the door, inviting them inside.

As they took a seat, Theodore abruptly seemed annoyed.

"I believe I know what this is about," he told them, shaking his head indignantly.

"You do?" Audrey asked, thankful for not having to sound like a drone, repeating the same things.

He nodded aggressively.

"I guess Scott told you then, about how I questioned him too." She responded.

Maybe Scott liked to come off as a rebellious delinquent, but she knew how he felt.

Maybe he finally decided to open up with his uncle, Audrey thought proudly.

Theodore raised an eyebrow, as his features harden even more.

"No, he didn't tell me," he practically hissed, "What's he done now? That god forsaken kid, always screws up."

The two partners exchanged a look, as Nathan spoke up.

"Actually, he-"

"Don't tell me I need to bail him out," he growled furiously.

Ignoring their useless attempts to interrupt him, he ranted on, barely taking a single breath in between sentences.

"I won't do it. He's lucky I even took him in after his mother died, she was a wreck at parenting, anyway. I mean, come on, look at the kid! Shoulda just shipped him off to an orphanage or private school when I had the-"

"Your nephew hasn't done anything wrong," Audrey sharply cut off his rant, "he's been extremely helpful, actually."

She tried staying objective, but sometimes she couldn't.

Maybe it was because Scott reminded her of herself when she was young and lost.

Maybe it was how badly he just wanted a fresh start.

Or maybe, it was just the way his uncle thought the worst of him, and hadn't enough shame to know how inappropriate he was acting; giving away the private life story of a misguided kid to two strangers he met no more than, roughly 48 seconds prior.

"Smooth move, Uncle," a voice behind them remarked, the last word dripping with sarcasm.

Scott had obviously just came out from his bedroom, overhearing the conversation.

Biting into an apple he'd grabbed from the fridge, he surveyed the adults with indifference.

"Don't worry Officers," Scott stated blatantly as he jumped up from the barstool, "he sometimes forgets I'm home. It's a common thing, you know, forgetting another human being announced their presence to you earlier, while you obviously ignored them."

"Scott-" Theodore began, his face reddening, due to a mixture of anger and embarrassment.

"Plot twist," Scott continued in a mocking whisper, "I've been home for hours and he didn't even realize until now."

"Don't you dare-" Theodore tried again, tone rising.

Scott didn't listen though, merely sat down in the sofa across from the two partners as he bit into his apple again.

"Thankfully he doesn't forget to feed me," Scott stated, with an exaggerated grateful expression to Nathan, "aren't cold TV dinners the best?"

"Enough!" Theodore roared, pointing a furiously trembling finger at his nephew.

"Uncle Teddy," Scott whispered in mock innocence, eying the duo, "you always told me inside voices when we have guests, remember?"

"Get out! Go to your room," Theodore shouted, running a hand through his hair, "and don't come out till I say."

"Aye aye, cap'n." Scott saluted, nodding in the direction of the duo, as he bit into his apple.

Nathan watched the teenager head into his room, and turned towards his partner and Theodore.

"If you don't mind, I'd like to ask Scott a few questions." Nathan stated, getting an accepting nod from Audrey and a raised eyebrow from Theodore.

"Suit yourself," Theodore replied, gesturing the way towards his room.

Nathan headed away from the two, hearing Audrey begin her questioning.

* * *

Knocking on the door with the skull and 'Enter and Die' posters taped to it, Nathan stood waiting.

"If you leave me alone, I'll work an extra shift at the Inn," was the sullen reply.

"It's Officer Wuornos," Nathan responded patiently.

After what seemed like a moment's hesitation, the door opened.

Scott leaned against his now ajar bedroom door, playing with his lip ring.

"What can I do for you," Scott replied, a counterfeit, oblivious expression on face, "fake IDs, drugs, or alcohol?"

He theaterically gasped, with a mockingly alarmed look, as he acted as if he'd only just noticed Nathan.

"Oh! I'm sorry you had to hear what I do in my free time, Officer!" Scott exclaimed sarcastically, shaking his head ruefully.

"Eh," Nathan dead panned, not seeming fazed in the slightest, "I've heard of worse timepass activities."

Scott widened his eyes for a millisecond before recovering, surprised but impressed at Nathan's lack of reaction.

Guess his buttons are harder to push, Scott thought.

"Lucky you," Scott stated, as he slammed the door in his face.

Mid-slam, Nathan pushed his hand in the way, blocking it from closing entirely.

Probably should've used my foot, Nathan resentfully thought to himself.

The quickness of the moment made him think fast.

Hand or foot, it doesn't matter, he thought, silently regarding his...condition.

The door instantly opened fully, a wide-eyed Scott on one end.

"What the hell, dude," he started genuinely(for once), "you stop a door with your foot, not your hand!"

"Close enough," Nathan stated, studying his reddening palm, the door's mark engraving.

"Can I come in?" He asked, nodding towards the room.

With a hesitant expression, Scott gestured a tentative hand in an inviting motion.

* * *

Nathan settled down in a close-by chair, as Scott sprawled onto his bed, sketchpad in hand.

"I don't even know what you want from me, I already told the hot blonde all I know," he stated, lazily doodling with a pencil.

Nathan wondered what expression must've been on his usual stoic face, because Scott took one look at him and smirked.

"Sorry, hadn't realized you had a thing for her," he apologized, waving his hand in a 'forget-about-it' motion, he continued "ignore my suggestive remarks."

"I'm-talking-that's not-" Nathan stammered, before he closed his eyes momentarily.

Exhaling deeply, he opened his eyes again.

"I want to know if you think your uncle would want to burn down the B&B, if he had any motive."

Nathan knew right at the moment he and Audrey entered, that the man wouldn't be completely open.

Maybe he wouldn't lie by fabrication, but he would lie by omission.

But Scott, he was honest, blatantly honest.

He wouldn't lie for his 'dear' uncle, but he wouldn't sabotage him either.

He didn't want anything to do with him, plain and simple.

Hence, he was the perfect person to question.

Scott leaned back, his usual humorous expression replaced with a serious, pondering one.

"I mean," Scott thought aloud, "he'd always hated the place. It got tons more business than the Inn ever did."

Nathan waited silently, for him to continue.

"Speaking objectively," Scott assured, "he's too intimidated to do the dirty work, if he wanted to burn the place down. He'd probably get someone to do the job for him."

Nathan watched him, openly impressed.

For someone who seemed not to care whether he got arrested, or seemed not to care in general, he certainly was the opposite sometimes.

Scott noticed Nathan's expression, and gave him a sheepish look.

"I like crime shows," the boy confessed, "sue me."

Offering a small smile at his bluntness, Nathan continued.

"Does anyone come to mind that'd likely help him?"

Silently thinking hard, Scott's eyes lit up.

"There's this one guy," Scott thought back, "he had kind of long hair, a shaggy style."

Nathan stiffened slightly.

He had a photo of Jacob Holt, if he needed someone to identify his location at the bar.

Pulling it out of his pocket, he turned it towards Scott.

"He look familiar?"

"That's the guy," Scott nodded vigorously, "he stopped by the Inn a lot before the fires."

"To do something specifically, or to meet with someone?" Nathan pressed.

"He only ever met with my uncle, and they'd just talk-er, shout."

"At each other?"

"Nah," Scott shook his head, "more in common complaint."

"Had you ever heard the conversations?" Nathan questioned.

"I sit at the front desk, where people forget I'm there," Scott responded, giving him a look, "of course I heard what they talked about."

Nathan raised his eyebrows in silent inquiry.

"My uncle'd get pissed about business, how the Inn was sinking while the B&B was doing better than ever. He talked about wanting to just have the place gone, and the other guy agreed."

"What did Holt-the other guy-say?" Nathan asked.

"He said he would 'burn the whole place to ash' if he thought it'd make him feel better about Gina."

"That's all you can remember?"

"At the moment," Scott replied, tone laced with a hint of annoyance, "yeah. He stopped coming weeks before that fire occurred, so I can't recall every detail in ten seconds."

A silence enveloped the air, not a bad one.

Nathan stood up, aware that the chatter outside was now dying down.

Stepping towards Scott, he gave him a card.

"It's my home and cell number," Nathan explained to the boy's confused face, "if you remember more, or just wanna talk."

He added the second option out of protective instinct.

"Thanks," Scott muttered, usual cockiness gone.

Walking towards the door, Nathan caught his eye.

"Maybe try to go a bit easier on him," Nathan stated silently, gesturing towards the hallway.

They both knew who Nathan was talking about; Theodore.

Scott practically snorted.

"And why's that?" He asked, an incredulous expression on face.

"He's raising a kid on his own, that's not his own kid. He's strict, he's obnoxious, he's secretive, he's tough. And," Nathan answered, his voice hanging off in an uncompleted fashion.

Maybe he wasn't talking about Theodore at all, maybe it was just the vivid description of Garland Wuornos flying around his mind.

It probably was.

He knew he didn't do right by the Chief as a teen, Scott somewhat reminded Nathan of himself.

He'd also be doing anything in his willpower to piss of his old man(in Scott's case, his old uncle).

But he would try to do right by the Chief now, by making Scott understand.

"And what?" Scott asked, as Nathan had his hand on the door knob.

"And most of all," Nathan continued as he opened the door, "he's trying."

And with that final word, he stepped out of the room, leaving Scott to ponder wildly.

Heading towards the living room, he saw Audrey was walking towards the door too.

Exchanging last words with Theodore, the duo headed outside towards the direction of the Bronco.

* * *

To Be Continued...


	13. Grilled Cheese With A Side Of Awkward

Author's Note: I stole a line or two from show in this chapter, couldn't resist! ;D

* * *

**Exchanging last words with Theodore, the duo headed outside towards the direction of the Bronco.**

* * *

Nathan explained to Audrey all that Scott had told him(leaving out the 'suggestive remark').

"Guess Holt really did want to get rid of that place, just like Theodore," Audrey stated when he was finished, a somewhat surprised expression on face.

Nathan began driving in the direction of home.

"Exactly," he agreed, "What'd Teddy say?"

"He said that one of his finest clients, Jenny Weaver, seemed to dislike the B&B immensely."

"We should see her tomorrow then," Nathan nodded, "that's all he said?"

Audrey snorted.

"Other than that, he tried to play it off like he was a kind, soft, single parent," she replied shaking her head, "told me he loved the B&B, wouldn't have done anything against."

"Obviously he's telling the truth," Nathan stated.

Audrey swiftly turned her head towards him, disbelief clearly etched on her face as she watched his stoic face.

"You really think-" She began to argue, noticing Nathan's lips itch to quirk upwards on his otherwise blank expression.

"Ha ha," she stated without a laugh, though she smiled, "you know, you should smile more often. People will know when you're joking."

"Probably," Nathan remarked, lips now freely turning into a small grin, as he glanced at her.

Audrey ignored the sudden swarm of butterflies that invaded her stomach, instead focusing on the road.

She pulled on the sleeves of her jacket, cursing herself for not wearing a larger coat.

Without a word, Nathan silently took notice, and reached out to turn on the heat.

"Thanks," Audrey replied gratefully.

His gaze soften slightly as he looked at her.

"It was for me," he stated playfully, "someone always tells me 'even if you can't feel it, it still affects your body.'"

"Wow," Audrey commented, recalling her past words, "that someone seems really knowledgable."

"I wouldn't bet on it," Nathan dead panned, as the duo was almost to Nathan's.

Audrey reached her hand out and flicked the side of his neck, good-naturedly.

After groaning with an exaggerated, pained expression, he chuckled.

"C'mon," Audrey laughed, as she hopped out of the now parked Bronco.

* * *

Once inside and comfortable, Audrey stretched her legs out on the sofa as she leaned back.

Rosemary's package in one hand, Theodore Pierson's file in the other.

She'd changed, so her(Nathan's, she mentally corrected) shirt and sweats warmed her nicely.

Nathan then stepped out of his room, typical sleep wear(white shirt and plaid pants) on.

Audrey mentally cursed at his tight shirt.

Grabbing some paperwork to fill out, Nathan settled on the couch across from her.

After minutes of companionable silence, he spoke.

"Hungry?"

"Yeah," Audrey answered absent-mindedly as she licked the icing off yet, another cupcake.

Before she could process what was happening, Nathan grabbed the dessert in her hand and the package, placing it on the countertop.

"Nathan," Audrey stated, with a petulant expression.

Working around in the kitchen, he didn't even glance in her direction as he spoke.

"Dessert isn't a meal," he replied, "you'd still be hungry even after you finished the entire package."

"Fine," she responded sulkily, as she settling onto the counter top in the kitchen, "what constitutes a meal, then?"

"Something that gives more nutrients than sugary colored icing."

"And what might that be?"

"Grilled cheese," he stated confidently, "something you can help with, without managing to burn the house down or injuring one of us."

Before he realized what happened, Audrey firmly grabbed the end of his shirt from the counter.

She pulled him towards her, so him and his confused expression were now in front of her.

"Speaking of injuries," she gestured to his shirt.

"It's fine now," he assured, "put some more of that ointment on it when I changed."

Audrey gave him a look, unwilling to believe him.

Before he registered, she flipped his shirt halfway up.

Roaming her fingers on his chest, she felt the liquid-y cream.

"Audrey," he managed to get out, his breath turning ragged.

She didn't look up at him, so she didn't see him desire-filled eyes, his parted lips.

She kicked herself mentally.

She was being pushy, and way too touchy for him to be comfortable.

How could she not notice?

"Sorry," she muttered, attempting nonchalance, "you really did put it on."

"Yeah," Nathan mumbled back, as she moved her hand away and dropped his shirt.

Like blinds covering a window, his eyes once again became unreadable.

"Going to wash this stuff off," Audrey nodded at her hands, not willing to meet his gaze, "be right back." she stated as she jumped off the counter.

"Alright," Nathan replied as she headed down the hall, wanting to say more, but settling for the single word.

* * *

Once she returned, hands freshly smelling of soap, she stood beside him.

"So, um," she began while playing with the hem of her shirt, "what can I do to help?"

Her request gradually caused the strained edge in the atmosphere to dissipate.

"Flip," Nathan stated simply, nudging her towards the grilled cheese sandwich on the stove.

"I'm not great at this," she warned.

"Who is?" he asked, as his lips quirked.

She gave him a look, eying the pan.

Slowly, she flipped it with a loud slap.

"Wasn't so bad, was it?" Nathan asked, confidence in tone.

"I see you're practically dying to say 'I told you so'." Audrey observed, with a light-hearted laugh.

"Eh," Nathan started as he set the table, "you said it for me already, so I'm good."

"I guessed that," Audrey smiled, as she placed the crispy sandwiches in each plate.

Eating while talking about the case, they discussed possible motives. Possible suspects. Possible non-suspects.

Time flew by, and they began to cleanse the dishes.

Same as always, Audrey washed, while Nathan dried.

And same as always, the two muttered "G'night", as they headed their separate ways for different sleeping arrangements.

In the morning, Jenny Weaver and Jacob Holt would be getting a visit from the two.

* * *

To Be Continued...


	14. The Family Relation

Author's Note: Thank you all for the continued support, and for sticking with me this far into the story. Truly. :)

There's a huge plot twist relating to the case! Review, and let me know how I did with this chapter!

* * *

**In the morning, Jenny Weaver and Jacob Holt would be getting a visit from the two.**

* * *

Eating their breakfast that consisted of pancakes, they planned to head to Jenny Weaver's after.

"I think," Audrey sighed contently after yet another plateful, "I see the appeal now."

Nathan laughed, as he finished his last bite, nodding in agreement.

"Told you," he answered confidently, a slight boastfulness in tone.

"Okay, cocky," she muttered, grinning(mirroring his expression) as she helped him clear up the dishes.

* * *

After the dishes were wiped clean, they drove the Bronco towards Weaver's home address.

Knocking firmly on the front door, a brunette who looked to be in her late 30's to early 40's answered.

She made an expression of annoyance mixed with disgust as she took in their badges and holsters.

"What do you want?" She asked evenly, skipping the pleasantries and small talk.

"Jenny Weaver?" Nathan questioned.

"Yes," Jenny replied, glancing at her watch impatiently.

"We're here to ask some questions about the B&B, it appears you seemed to hate the place." Audrey stated, adding the second phrase in a joking manner that she hoped would simmer down the woman's anger.

Her method didn't work.

The moment the specific word came out of Audrey's mouth, the woman's demeanor worsened; B&B.

"And?" Jenny questioned, the single word tinged with irritation, "Is it a crime to hate the place?"

Audrey felt her temper increase at her curtness, but she kept her tone just as calm.

"No, but committing arson is, unfortunately."

That made the woman look slightly taken aback.

"Me?" She inquired incredulously, "Are you serious?"

"Mom?" A small boy questioned, as he peeked out from behind her.

He looked from the duo to the guns on their hips, an intimidated expression forming.

The strands of golden hair covering his forehead magnified his widening eyes.

"It's okay," Audrey coaxed softly, her demeanor changing.

"Go play with your toys, Timmy," Jenny said with a forced smile, "I'll tell you when we're leaving."

The boy paused hesitantly, looking at his mother for assurance.

She nodded encouragingly, and Timmy left.

The moment he was gone, Jenny sighed tiredly, her plastered smile slipping off to reveal a scowl.

"I didn't commit any crime." She stated, a tone of certainty.

"I understand that, but we need to question you, in order to make that positively certain." Audrey answered.

"I guess his appointment can wait," Jenny muttered, giving a nod towards the open door, "come in."

* * *

"For starters," Nathan began, as they settled in the living room, "why?"

I'm sorry," Jenny asked, shaking her head in confusion, "why what?"

"Why do you hate the B&B?"

"It's not..." She dazed off as she watched Timmy playing in the corner.

"It's not what?" Audrey questioned gently.

Jenny squeezed the bridge of her nose as she closed her eyes.

"It's not that simple to explain," she stated with a weary sigh.

Audrey bit back a laugh at her words.

She didn't know where she came from.

She didn't know who she was.

She didn't even know _what_ she was.

Was Lucy her mother? Or just a random woman? Or was _she_ Lucy?

Jenny's simple words explained Audrey's life, though they were practically the understatement of the year.

"I can relate," was all Audrey said though, "try me."

Giving a reluctant pause, she sighed as she started to talk.

"This is confidential, so I'm expecting you not to share this information carelessly to anyone. Unless need be." Jenny warned sharply.

The duo nodded sincerely, and she went back to her weary expression.

"My father's name was Eddie Seymour." The words came out in a strangled tone, though a soft one.

Audrey and Nathan exchanged a glance, both of them shocked.

"Then that makes Helen Seymour, the owner of the B&B, your mo-" Audrey began to state, before she was interrupted.

"No," Jenny sharply cut off her statement, "she's not, just the second wife. My mom's name was Katherine Weaver, I kept her maiden name."

There was a brief pause.

"...Does she know?" Nathan asked, quietly referring to Helen, breaking the silence.

Family needs to know about these types of bonds.

He damned Garland for that.

He knew his adoptive father did it for the best, but he still wanted to know the secretive information. He had the right to.

It wouldn't have changed that Garland Wuornos was a much better man Max Hansen. It wouldn't have changed that he was a much better father than the deadbeat.

But Nathan simply wanted to know.

"No," Jenny replied, watching her son as she was unwillingly to meet the duo's gaze, "guess my dad didn't tell her about his first wife. Didn't tell her about me."

The second sentence was spoken in a broken whisper.

"It's fine," Jenny assured herself more than the partners, "me and Tim got by, and we'll continue to."

Audrey wondered about Tim's father and Jenny's mother now, but didn't ask. She didn't want to upset Jenny more that she already was. She noted to look into that later at the station in the files, though.

"I'm sorry," Audrey apologized, eyes sincere.

"It doesn't matter," Jenny countered, though her eyes softened at Audrey's kindness, as she bitterly continued, "maybe Helen did know about me. Maybe he did tell her about me, but she didn't care enough."

They were treading in personal waters now, and Audrey didn't want to cause a tidal wave.

"So that's why you hate the B&B," Audrey stated.

Jenny didn't respond, though her silence was answer enough.

"I wouldn't set the place ablaze," Jenny told the two, nodding at Tim, "you think I'd do something as stupid as that when I have a child waiting for me to come home everyday?"

Not intentionally maybe, Audrey thought to herself, wondering if she could be Troubled.

As the woman walked them to the door, she delayed them for a moment.

"Don't say anything to Helen," Jenny told them, eyes unwavering with trust.

"We won't," Audrey said, glancing at a nodding Nathan before looking back at her, "you should."

And with that, they walked back to the Bronco.

Leaving Jenny wide-eyed at the thought, but she quickly recovered as she closed the front door of her home.

Jacob Holt, who they hoped was sober at the current time, was the next person they were going to see.

* * *

To Be Continued...


	15. The Sober Drunk

Author's Note: All of those following this story(goes without saying, thank you! :D), could you all hopefully write reviews? I'd love to get any of your feedback/thoughts on how you like the plot so far, and if you think adding some things would make it better. Let me know please, it'll honestly help!

* * *

**Jacob Holt, who they hoped was sober at the current time, was the next person they were going to see.**

* * *

They hoped for sober, though they got the second closest thing.

Hung over.

He wasn't at the bar, and Nathan was grateful.

He couldn't trust himself not to get suspended for breaking a drunken man's nose that would be pestering Audrey.

After a fourth knock on the front door of Holt's, they heard slow footsteps.

"Why're you so loud?" He shouted, as they heard the door click open.

As the door opened, the duo took in his appearance.

His shaggy hair seemed even more wild. His stubble seemed more grown into a small beard. His eyes squinted painfully at the brightness of the day, as he pulled on a pair of sunglasses. Wearing the same clothes from when they visited him yesterday, he looked even more disheveled.

"Hello again," Nathan stated, amusement etched on his features.

He despised his Trouble, though it came with the ever so often perk.

Not feeling the physical effects of a hangover, was one of them.

"Again...?" Holt muttered with a confused edge, before his eyes glimmered with remembrance.

"You cops were at the bar yesterday." He told them, as if they didn't know.

"That's right," Audrey nodded, surveying the man once more, "do you...remember the conversation we had?"

"Yup," he replied, popping the 'p', "I've had enough hangovers that it's easy to remember the day before, just takes a moment to kick in."

"Ah," Audrey nodded, unsure whether to be impressed or disturbed by the fact, "I see."

"Can we come in?" Nathan asked, glancing at the open door, "We'd like to just ask you some questions."

"Enter at your own risk," Holt muttered, walking inside leaving the door open behind him.

* * *

They say the home should represent the owner.

And Jacob Holt's home did.

It looked just as unorderly as him.

Clothes thrown around randomly, beer bottles collecting on the coffee table. Wrappers of food piled up, magazines and books spread across the floor.

Yeah, the untidiness certainly did represent him well.

"Um, thanks," Audrey mumbled, as Holt moved a pile of wrappers off the sofa for her to sit.

Once everyone was awkwardly seated, Nathan spoke.

"You told us about your wife yes-"

"Ex-wife," Holt corrected curtly.

"Ex-wife," Nathan conformed, "yesterday."

"That I did," Holt nodded as he slumped in his chair, "so yeah, she's why I hate that place." His last two words dripped with disgust.

"In your file, it stated that you booked a night there a year ago..."

"Go on," Holt answered, eyes wildly unwavering.

He didn't seem fazed at all that his file was being looked at.

"...you were caught trying to destroy the room. Literally. You were tearing at the walls with a small axe, the mattress was thrown, furniture broken and tossed."

"I didn't realize case files were that thorough," Holt responded, rather impressed, as he care-freely took a swig of what looked to be a bottle of scotch.

"Why'd you do it?" Audrey asked, though she felt she knew the answer already.

"I told you this already," Holt replied, voice thick with condescendence, "I hate the place."

"No," Audrey pressed firmly, "it says you argued at the front desk for specifically that room, you said you'd leave if you didn't get that room. Why?"

"Good lord, your reports really are that detailed," Holt answered, dodging the question, though his jaw visibly clenched at her solid persistence.

Audrey shot him a look, repeating the single word once more, this time

more loudly. She wanted confirmation on her guess for his actions.

"Why?"

"Because that's the room she always used when she went there," Holt shouted, as he stood up as if he would walk towards Audrey, temper flaring, "is that a sufficient enough answer?"

"Yes," Nathan growled, "now sit down."

The two had a staring-contest then, though they'd probably not call it that.

The intensity and tenseness of the two was practically radiating off in waves.

Nathan unwaveringly watched, just as Holt did.

He'd never let the man touch a hair on his partner's head, nor would he so much as let him shout at her like that.

Holt quit first, furiously blinking several times in order to clear his watering eyes.

"I'm sorry," Audrey softly stated, after a moment of stillness passed.

"Sorry doesn't change anything," Holt muttered, staring at the scotch that he swirled around in circles.

"What about Cletus Philman?" Nathan asked, trying to change the topic, "He said that you two were buddies."

Holt snorted.

"Drinking buddies are different from buddies."

"How so?"

"We would just share a beer or two at The Shiny Scupper," Holt replied, referring to local bar, "he didn't care about my marital history when I wanted to talk about it."

"Did he ever share anything with you?"

"Other than his annoyance for that Helen Seymour woman? No. He didn't care what I was saying unless it shared the same hatred of his for that B&B."

His tone was bitter, disgusted.

"Did he ever mention someone named Jenny Weaver?" Audrey questioned.

"No," Holt shrugged, "he never knew anyone named 'Weaver', as far as I know. Cletus was a non-social guy. He settled for the people he'd already known, and that was it. Didn't go trying to make more friends, so I'm guessing he didn't know her."

Audrey looked in the direction of Nathan, a silent conversation.

It checked out; when they'd asked Jenny earlier if she had known Cletus Philman, she'd shook her head, and firmly stated, "Other than reading about the gas leak that caused his death in the Herald, no."

After a moment of understanding, he nodded, and they both stood.

"Thank you for your time, Jacob." Nathan told him gruffly.

Holt gave a non-verbal grunt in response.

"If anything else comes to-" Nathan started, beginning to pull out a card.

"I still have the one you gave me yesterday," Holt interrupted.

"Damn," Audrey stated impressively, "you really do remember everything before your hangover."

She was pleased when her words were rewarded with a small grin from Holt.

"You can do better," Audrey muttered silently to him, knowing he understood that she was referring to his ex-wife, "and you can definitely look better too."

His expression hardened again at her words, as he watched her silently.

"Don't get me wrong," she continued, "homeless-guy-on-the-street-corner isn't a bad look, but you could improve."

Holt stared at her for a minute, before doing the unthinkable.

He laughed.

And with that chuckle, his entire demeanor lightened completely from the single motion.

"Noted," he replied, shaking his head ruefully at her words, "I'll take that into recommendation, kid."

"Good," Audrey smiled kindly, as her and her partner headed out towards the Bronco.

* * *

"That was nice of you."

Audrey looked up, Nathan's words grasping her out of her distracted daze of studying the scenery they were driving by on the way to the station.

Slightly puzzled by what he was referring to, she simply settled for giving him a raised eyebrow and a mumbled "What?".

He rolled his eyes good-naturedly, as his lips quirked slightly.

"You know what I meant," Nathan pressed, "encouraging Holt to get his act together."

"You mean telling him he looked like a homeless person?" Audrey laughed.

Nathan shook his head at her willing blindness to her actions.

"Because if that's what you're talking about," she continued, "that was not kindness, that was honesty."

"Fine," Nathan stated, watching her closely, "then I guess your idea of honesty is my idea of kindness."

His blue eyes pierced her, tenderness radiating through them.

"Guess so," she quipped with a smile, once again ignoring the flutter of her stomach.

Instead, she focused on the details she would be looking out for in those case files at the station.

* * *

To Be Continued...


	16. The Husband

**Instead, she focused on the details she would be looking out for in those case files at the station.**

* * *

Walking into the station, the duo settled into their corner office that they shared.

Settling in her seat, Audrey scanned through the online listed files the department had on the computer.

Finally, she found the name of the person she was looking for.

Jenny Weaver.

Father, just as she told them, was Eddie Seymour.

Deceased.

And just as she'd told them about her mother, her name was Katherine Weaver.

But wait.

Deceased.

Her mother died; Audrey felt a tinge of sadness for Jenny, as she scrolled down for the cause of death.

Pancreatic cancer.

Her eyes then scanned for a spouse, or ex-spouse on Jenny Weaver's file.

And she found it; an ex-spouse.

Devon Walters.

She studied the image of the blonde-haired man, comprehending where Tim got his looks from.

Deceased.

Searching for cause of death, Audrey felt a jolt of shock when she found it.

A fire.

He died in a house fire.

Audrey tried to look for a cause of the fire, but there wasn't one. Frustrated, she reminded herself to obtain the full report to see if it was listed there.

She was still trying to wrap her head around it, when she looked more at the marital history he had.

Devon and Jenny were together for a little less than 12 months, before they divorced.

Reading about the divorce, Audrey felt a strong surge of disgust towards the ex-husband.

Domestic violence.

Not just to Jenny, but to Tim as well.

There were photographs linked to serve as physical evidence.

With a moment of hesitance, Audrey opened the files.

In the first photograph, she saw an image of Jenny, her lip busted and eye swollen with a shadow of black surrounding it.

The second was of Tim, his cheek reddened and bruised darkly.

That's enough, she thought to herself, as she shut the monitor of her computer.

Closing her eyes, she exhaled deeply as she attempted to relax her ragged breaths, trying to calm her jittery nerves.

"Parker?"

Audrey opened her eyes, to see Nathan's features etched in worry.

"What's wrong?" He asked as he walked over, taking a seat on the chair next to her.

"I found something about Jenny," Audrey muttered, as she opened the computer monitor to show him.

Nathan's jaw clenched at the photographs, and his eyes flashed with anger.

She informed him of the details she found out.

"A fire?" Nathan asked, raising an eyebrow, at the coincidental way Devon Walters died.

"My exact response too," Audrey nodded, "I'm going to try to look into it more."

Feeling foolish, she added, "Sorry for overreacting."

She averted his blue eyes, focusing on the computer solely, where she'd pulled up the fire report that Devon Walters died in.

"Hey," Nathan started, gently guiding her chin with his hand to make Audrey meet his gaze, which reluctantly she did.

"Don't be sorry," he stated adamantly, ocean-tinted eyes undoubtful, then shining with humor, as he attempted to lighten the mood, "Everyone has the right to overreact every once in awhile, though you didn't."

"You sure about that?" Audrey questioned, a small smile now playing on her lips.

"Positive," he assured with a nod, smirking at her as he continued, "you've only ever overreacted when the line at Rosemary's is slightly long."

"Shut up," Audrey replied good-naturedly, as she flicked his ear with a grin.

"You're not denying it," Nathan added playfully, as he headed back to his desk.

Audrey watched him go, ignoring the pleasurable, heating sensation she felt on her skin where he'd touched her.

"Officer Wuornos," Audrey answered with mock seriousness, "get back to work."

"Yes ma'am," Nathan teased, ignoring the possesive stir inside him that occurred when she called him 'Officer Wuornos'.

Just as Audrey ignored the flutter inside her that occurred when he called her 'ma'am'.

* * *

After more research about the house fire Jenny's ex-husband died in, Audrey was slightly in disbelief at the information.

There was no cause found.

Just like it had been for the fire at the B&B.

Just like it had been for the fire at Cletus Philman's home.

Obviously, the three disasters had to be related in some way.

Luckily for her, her mind was rewarded with a break as her partner came back.

Entering their office, Nathan dropped a bag that had 'PK Cafe & Grill' written on it.

"Lunch," Nathan stated simply, as he plopped his own bag on his desk, where he sat down.

"Lobster," Audrey observed the contents of her lunch joyfully, as she threw a grateful grin in Nathan's direction.

"Don't know how you like it," Nathan answered, with a mocking disgusted expression, "but suit yourself."

"I will," she stated with certainty, taking a delicious bite, she added, "and happily."

Nathan let out a chuckle, as he took a bite of his sandwich.

"So, I have a theory," Audrey said, piercing through the casual silence that filled the air between them as they ate.

"Shocker," Nathan dead panned, as he took another savory bite of his lunch.

"Think about it," Audrey continued, ignoring his reply, "Jenny Weaver finally snaps with her husband, that could trigger a Trouble."

"You think it's her?" Nathan asked, an eyebrow raised, as he glanced at Audrey.

"Maybe," Audrey responded a little uncertainly, "I asked Stan to get me the full report of the fire when you were gone, so hopefully we'll get more details about from it."

"Amazing," Nathan dead panned.

"About the fire coincidence?" Audrey asked, assuming that's what he was referring to.

Nathan shook his head with a smirk.

"You got Stan's name right for once," Nathan stated, "your days of calling him Stu are gone."

Audrey laughed, and smiled back at him.

"Yes they are," she agreed, "I'm turning into a local, now."

"Somewhat I guess, halfway there," Nathan teased, studying her amusingly.

She definitely seemed more like a local now, than when he helped her off a cliff.

"Well," she smiled, recalling the items he'd given her during her first week in Haven, "someone gave me some Black Bears merchandise, a local plaid shirt, and some fuzzy boots to help with the Maine winters. That'll sure to help me get there fully."

"That they will," Nathan confirmed, lips quirked slightly.

The comfortable silence took over, while Audrey resumed adding to her possible theory relating to Jenny Weavers mentally.

Taking a sip of her water to clear her throat, she spoke, adding to her justification.

"Jenny snaps," Audrey continued hypothetically, "sets the house on fire with her Trouble, when she and Tim are gone, but with Devon still inside. Then, she unintentionally sets the B&B ablaze due to her anger with Helen."

Nathan gave her a slightly doubtful look, still unconvinced.

"You really think she holds that much anger towards Helen?"

"Yeah," Audrey insisted, pressing her explanation, "She's believed Helen either didn't care enough to reach out to her and Tim, or didn't even try to find out about them, for decades of her life."

Audrey studied Nathan, as he swallowed the last bite of his sandwich, features looking distracted in thoughtful consideration.

She could tell he was coming around to her possible theory.

"Let's just say you're right," Nathan began cautiously, a perplexed look, "but one thing still wouldn't make sense."

Audrey squinted her eyes, thinking thoroughly about her theory, to see if something didn't add up.

Then, her expression turned to understanding, as her eyes glinted in pondering.

"Cletus Philman," she agreed as Nathan nodded in confirmation, a slight confusion to her tone.

The puzzlement was caused by her inability to place him in the theory. She hadn't a clue how he was connected.

"Exactly," Nathan concurred, "how is he connected, in this theory of yours?"

Audrey thought silently for a couple seconds. Opening and closing her mouth once, debating what to say.

"I'll get back to you on that," she finally settled for.

"Let me know when you do," Nathan replied, shaking his head ruefully at her persistence.

"Fine," she continued with a small smile, walking over to his desk, leaning against it, "what have you managed to do then, Wuornos?"

"Other than fill out these reports you're too lazy to get to?" Nathan gestured towards the several stacks of papers, scrawled in his handwriting.

"Not lazy, just side-tracked," she countered.

"And yes," Audrey pressed with a smirk, "other than that."

"Got lunch for both of us," Nathan stated, as his lips quirked, "which should be more than enough."

"That's true," Audrey laughed, as she leaned close to him.

Her blonde hair skimmed her shoulders freely, as her blue eyes glinted with amusement, and something else unreadable.

Her eyes studied his lips freely, and almost hesitantly, looked back up to his stormy-blue gaze.

Then, she stretched her fingers out, reaching for him tenderly.

* * *

To Be Continued...


	17. The Unknown Cause

Author's Note: Please don't hate me after this chapter. Hooray for more Stan! ;D

* * *

**Then, she stretched her fingers out, reaching for him tenderly.**

* * *

Audrey instantly felt him sharply intake a breath at her contact.

She allowed her thumb to softly brush the corner of his mouth.

Touching Nathan like that, made her eyes flutter, in a way she hoped was unnoticeable to him.

Maybe close quarters after work hours are enough, Audrey thought as she felt the usual unsteadiness in her stomach from getting close to Nathan, no need to add in closeness during office hours too.

Walking the mere amount of feet towards his desk from hers, now seemed like a bad idea.

With that thought, she backed up a bit away from him.

Holding her finger up, she showed it off to him.

The flavorful sauce of Nathan's sandwich had obviously slipped onto his face, without him realizing.

"Obviously just getting lunch wasn't productive enough," she stated playfully, "you had to wear it on your face too."

She hoped her tone was full of nonchalance, since Nathan seemed tense.

His usual bright blue eyes turned stormy with emotion, filled with something unreadable.

Obviously he's tired, Audrey guessed, his eyes radiate it.

"Guess so," he finally replied to her comment, his voice oddly low, oddly husky.

Her fingers itched to lick off the sauce. Knowing the PK Cafe and Grill, it was bound to be definitely delicious.

But Audrey felt that would only make the tenseness in the air rise, so she didn't.

Not to mention, it'd be highly inappropriate(she still wanted to, though she'd never admit it).

Resisting that urge, she grabbed a spare napkin that laid on his desk from the restaurant's bag, and wiped her hand clean with it, dropping eye contact from him.

Standing up from his desk, she was about to head back to her own.

She didn't though.

She noticed something.

He was still watching her.

His gaze hadn't shifted.

Hadn't wavered.

Not once.

It wasn't a odd or creepy stare, it felt comfortable, with something else more. Something else more...intimate.

So Audrey didn't move, she looked at him right back. And as if in a trance, she stepped closer to him (not to wipe off food this time). And closer. And even closer. And maybe it was her overworked mind getting to her, but she thought she saw him leaning back towards her, too.

Only until they heard a knock on the office door, did both of them abruptly look away to face the door, and Audrey jump back several feet.

"Hey Audrey," Stan greeted as his head peeked in through the doorway, he smiled at Nathan in acknowledgment.

Seeing that they weren't too busy (and not noticing Audrey's flushed cheeks, and Nathan's pink ears), he walked towards Nathan's desk, and held out a file invitingly.

"That full fire report you requested for," he stated, nodding at the file in his hand.

"Thanks Stan," Audrey replied gratefully, as he nodded with a smile in response, then headed back outside.

Whatever had happened before Stan walked in (more like what _hadn't_ happened), was forgotten with their delivery, and it didn't leave behind any stray awkwardness.

The duo was all business now, anxiously skimming the complete fire report.

"The description is the same as the other two fires," Audrey observed.

Nathan nodded in agreement.

"'No physical cause of the fire was identified.'" Nathan read directly from the file.

"It's the same Trouble," Audrey stated, her tone positive, "it has to be."

"Okay," Nathan admitted, "this could _hypothetically_ make it more certain that it's Jenny's Trouble. But the fire at Philman's still doesn't add up."

"I've been thinking the same thing," Audrey muttered as she closed the file, turning towards Nathan, "and honestly, I don't have a clue where his connection kicks in."

"Holt said Philman didn't know anyone named 'Weaver'," Nathan recalled, "it doesn't explain why Jenny would burn a random stranger's house down, with him inside of it."

"Troubles usually only trigger if the Troubled person knew the vic," Audrey agreed, "had some sort of emotional entanglement with them."

"Someone else has to be causing this," Nathan concluded, his tone pondering as he wondered who it was then.

"Guess so," Audrey frowned, she had felt so confident about her theory.

"Cheer up," Nathan stated glancing at her, lips quirking upwards, he added, "at least you didn't bet money on it."

Which earned him a light-hearted grin from Audrey.

"Thankfully not," she replied.

* * *

After staying at the station a couple more hours, the paperwork-filling-out session met its end.

Putting his completed files into neat, organized stacks, Nathan bit back a laugh when he glanced as his partner.

He knew their personalities clashed, his quiet demeanor with her feisty one.

He guessed in that way, they were the perfect dichotomy.

But he got used to different characteristics. The different working methods? That would never cease to amuse him.

He examined her desk; the papers of different files spilling out and combining messily(not to mention that some were bend at the edges untidily), a pencil tossed here, a pen thrown there.

It still shocked him how she knew where everything was in the mess, while he'd sometimes get confused with his organized stacks.

He watched her, wondering how she managed to look beautiful even in midst of the choatic office hours.

Her golden-tinted hair was thrown up into a loose bun, held together by a mere pencil sticking out.

Loose strands spread out wildly but neatly across her forehead, lowering themselves just above her eyes.

Stop it, Nathan cursed at himself, she was a partner.

She was a friend.

He didn't need to go ruining their partnership, their friendship, with THOSE kinds of thoughts.

She had told him once that she didn't have friends back in Boston, or mainly in general.

"I guess I never really had any," she had confessed shyly, standing next to him, to the side of the Bronco.

"But I do now," she stated with a certain confidence, a sure adamance, "and so do you."

She'd said the words like they were already obvious, and they felt right.

And with those kind words, she placed a chaste, feather-light kiss on his cheek, as if sealing her words with the gesture.

He valued her too much, value their friendship too much, to risk it. To risk her.

So with that, he tucked those thoughts away, in the far back of his mind.

He knew they'd crawl back out, but he could control it. He could control himself.

"You ready to go?" Nathan asked, trying to distract himself from his over-active brain.

Looking up at him, she furiously brushed the free strands on her brow behind her ear.

"Just a minute," she assured, grinning at him as she added, "I just happen to take more time because I'm more thorough than you."

Maybe she was convincing herself that, more than him, but she didn't care.

Nathan snorted humorously.

"Vagueness is better," he countered, lips quirking, as he shrugged on his jacket.

With the Troubles, he mentally added, definitely better.

"Debatable," she shot right back at him.

Letting out a deep sigh, she threw her pen on the desk, as it landed with a loud flit.

Nathan looked at her quizzically, as he stepped nearer to her desk.

She twisted her dominant, writing hand, giving him a sheepish expression when he raised an eyebrow.

"Cramp from writing non-stop for the past hour," she explained.

"Ah," he nodded understandingly, glancing down at his own hand, "can't say that I miss that."

"Trust me," Audrey promised with an envious frown, "you don't."

"I do," he said, as his lips quirked. He trusted her. No doubt.

Whether she was referring to a writing cramp, or to his own life, he trusted her with it.

Stretching her arms for a moment, Audrey put on her tan, leather jacket swiftly.

Bidding Stan adieu, they hopped into the Bronco, heading home for the day.

* * *

To Be Continued...


	18. The Lie And The Visitor

Author's Note: Quite honestly, I'm not sure how much longer this story will be**.**

Reviews are encouragement, enjoy!

* * *

**Bidding Stan adieu, they hopped into the Bronco, heading home for the day.**

* * *

"You really need to crank up your thermostat," Audrey insisted, as she began fiddling with it, using her trembling cold hands, "not only for my sake, but for yours too."

They'd just walked inside, away from the bitterly cold winds of the outside.

Audrey continued her shivering, feeling more like an ice cube by each second.

"Sorry," Nathan apologized, pulling off his jacket, "never thought about doing that, since I don't really need it warm."

"Oh, yes you need it warm just as much as I do," Audrey pressed, "idiopathic neuropathy is no excuse, Wuornos."

"Noted," Nathan stated, hoping his one word answer would suffice.

"There," Audrey said absent-mindedly, nodding satisfied, at the now-adjusted thermostat.

"You still full from PK's," Nathan began to ask, looking towards the kitchen, "or are you hungry?"

"I'm good," she replied with a shake of her head, "that lobster was huge."

Nathan nodded, not feeling hungry himself.

He headed to his room to change, as Audrey grabbed some case files and settled comfortably on the couch.

He checked his faded wounds in the mirror, they looked a bit better.

That ointment helps, Nathan thought impressively. He decided to keep it for later.

Knowing himself, and his incorrigible habit of injuring himself, Nathan knew for a fact that there would be a 'later'.

But still, the cuts were deep. And maybe he'd brushed against something too roughly, since they seemed to be bleeding a little again.

Wiping the blood away painlessly, he applied the cream to his once again, fresh-looking wounds (due to the bleeding).

He cursed his carelessness, but vowed to be more pre-cautious in the future.

Settling into his usual home attire, he headed back to the living room, examining his partner sprawled out.

His lips quirked when he noticed she'd change into his clothes.

Her deep-sea blue eyes narrowed as she read the file in her hand carefully, skimming it slowly. She didn't bother to glance downward at the cupcake she bit into, her eyes remaining glued to the text.

Hearing Nathan clear his throat, she turned immediately towards him.

In response, Nathan simply pointed at her hands with a wry expression.

"Oh," she spoke informatively, shaking the case file in hand at him, "just checking to see if I missed something in these reports."

Nathan shook his head, pointing more clearly to her other hand. Sitting down on the sofa, he grabbed a case file to check with her.

"Oh," she stated, nodding in understanding.

"Here," she added, as she held out a package of the cupcakes beside her.

"No thanks," Nathan replied, a smile playing on his lips faintly, "I was wondering how you managed to spare Rosemary's days later, thought you'd have ate 'em all at once."

"Hey," Audrey countered with a raised eyebrow, "I have self-restraint, you know."

"And," she added with a sheepish smile, "maybe I did run out of Rosemary's, so _just maybe_ I stopped by Haven Joe's Bakery when you left for lunch."

"What was that you were saying about self-restraint again?" Nathan questioned, mock innocence in tone.

Instead of responding verbally, Audrey grabbed a nearby throw pillow, aiming and throwing it square at his head.

Luckily, he ducked just in time, letting out a chuckle, which made her smile.

"Horrible self restraint," he listed, tossing the pillow back on the couch, "and terrible aim."

"Give me a gun," she challenged with a determined expression, "and I'll correct you about the second."

"Fair enough," Nathan nodded in defeat.

He'd seen her shoot, and he wasn't going against _that_.

"How are your wounds?" Audrey asked looking up from the case file she was rereading, after a long amount of comfortable silence passed.

"Fully healed," Nathan lied, hoping his usually stoic face didn't give him away.

He knew if he told her the truth, she'd just freak out. And honestly, he didn't know if he could control himself if her tender hands would roam his chest freely again.

But obviously, Audrey Parker had a sixth sense, because she looked up at him with narrowed eyes suspiciously.

"You're lying."

It didn't come out as a curious question, but more like a determined fact.

"Parker, really I'm-"

"If you're human," Audrey stated, walking towards him, "it's not possible for wounds that deep to heal completely in mere days."

Maybe if she'd been more hesitant and less worried, she would've felt shy about her actions. But she wasn't.

Promptly sitting next to him, she turned towards him swiftly.

Before he could utter another word, she grabbed a fistful of his shirt, pulling it upwards.

She first noticed the little drops of dried blood.

Then the slightly pink-tinged wounds, that looked better but still not healed.

Audrey's head flew up to meet his gaze, her brow furrowed.

"'Fully healed' my ass," she commented, giving his chest a hard slap after each word.

Deliberately, she aimed her hits more to the right, away from his wounds.

Hissing in pain, Nathan forcefully pushed his shirt back down in defense.

"Alright, alright," he muttered, hand still firmly placed at the hem of his shirt (in case she'd try to grab it once more).

"Fine," Nathan confessed, "_maybe_ I exaggerated."

"You mean lied," Audrey countered with a slight pause between each word, in order to give his chest a nice hard slap, not caring that his shirt protected him.

Though her hits were more muffled through his shirt, he still felt them lightly, and he felt their warmth radiating off into him.

"Okay, okay," he admitted, his hands in the air as a sign of defeat, "I lied. I'm sorry."

"Damn straight you are," she answered, giving him a threatening look with a raised eyebrow.

"C'mon Parker," Nathan assured, "it looks much better than it did on the first day."

"But you still need to take it easy," Audrey countered insistently, giving him a look full of certainty, "you're not invincible."

"Some may argue otherwise," he joked, trying to lighten the mood.

He did seem invincible sometimes; taking nails in the back, setting his arm on fire. But that was more thanks to not feeling anything, than invincibility.

"Some may be wrong," Audrey mocked back, biting her lip to keep from smiling, "scratch that, they _are_ wrong."

"Did you find anything?" Nathan asked, half out of genuine curiosity, half out of a pity attempt to change the subject.

She knew what he was doing, but decided to play along. She had pestered him enough for now about not being Superman.

"No," she replied with a shake of her head, "just the same things we've went over."

Nathan nodded, though he was lost in thought as he felt her closeness.

Her arm was pressed against his absent-mindedly, her locks of hair tickling his side.

The warmth, the softness; it was intoxicatingly perfect. He'd never get enough of it.

"Wuornos?"

"Hmm?" Nathan simply hummed deep from his throat, signaling her to proceed.

"You space out fast," she teased, gesturing to door, she continued, "I said I think there's someone at the door."

Sure enough, the unknown person knocked once more.

Unnoticeably disappointed, Nathan moved up and away from Audrey, his hand grasping the door knob as he twisted it.

"Oh," he stated, unpleasantness seeping into his voice, "it's you."

"Nice to see you too, buddy," a voice mocked.

Stepping inside, Duke shamelessly examined Nathan's house, turning his head from left to right. Curiosity and intrigue clearly written on his face.

"I have to say," he finally spoke, thorough visual assessment completed, "I thought you either lived in your office, or in the Bronco."

"This coming from the guy who resides on a boat," Nathan dead panned, without giving him a second glance.

"The Rouge, is not simply a boat," Duke argued defensively, "she's a home on water."

"So...basically a boat?" Nathan asked, narrowing his stoic eyes in the smuggler's direction.

"You're funny," Duke nodded vigourously, his tone dripping with sarcasm.

Audrey watched the two, amused. They'd hadn't even realized she was observing their banter. She cleared her throat, making her presence obvious.

"Duke," she greeted.

"Tin Man's roomie," he quipped right back.

"Do you need something," Nathan started to question, his eyebrows knitting together, "or you just make house calls to annoy people now?"

"Lighten up on the cynicism, Nate," Duke replied in a mock offense, "and house calls? That's actually not a bad business ploy, thanks for the idea."

"I'm not here to braid our friendship bracelets, unfortunately," Duke added, pointing to Audrey, "I actually wanted to talk to your bunkmate."

* * *

To Be Continued...


	19. Police Station Rumors

Author's Note: For those that fear I won't complete this fanfic, don't worry, I will! I just hope that when you find out who the Troubled person is, it'll be as shocking as I intended it to be!

* * *

**"I'm not here to braid our friendship bracelets, unfortunately," Duke added, pointing to Audrey, "I actually wanted to talk to your bunkmate."**

* * *

Starting to feel intrigued, Audrey glanced at Duke.

Pulling up the loose tee she was wearing, she adjusted the long sweats as well.

"What's up?" She asked casually, though underneath she was curious.

"I was-"

Duke looked confused as he started to speak, but it was as if something clicked in his head, and he began to smirk.

"Wow," he teased, while waggling his eyebrows, as he studied her attire, "you really took the term 'bunkmate' a bit more...sensually than most."

Nathan glared at him, his ears turning red from anger and slight embarassment at Duke's remark.

Audrey simply rolled her eyes, an annoyed frown on face (though internally, she was flustered).

"How long have you two been, 'knockin' boots'?" He continued, as his face then scrunched up in mock worry, "Tin Man, you did formally court her, right? You know, small town traditions and all."

"The exit's the same as the entrance," Nathan finally interrupted Duke sharply, who was on a roll, "you walk through the front door. If you don't have anything useful to share, that is."

"Touchy, now are we?" Duke grinned mischievously, before he widen his eyes jokingly, "I didn't mean that physically, like you've been with your ol' partner over here."

"Seriously, Duke," Audrey stated with a warning to her tone, her eyes narrowing in his direction, "I could hold you for jaywalking if I wanted, so think _very_ carefully before you say anything else."

He nodded vigorously, as he noticeably gulped to her threat. Sheepishly smiling, he started to speak.

"I'm at the Gull tending the bar a couple hours ago," he began, running a hand through his raven-black hair, "this kid, comes up to me, orders some food. Tells me he's skipping town while he's eating. I didn't think anything of it, but then he tells me to call the Haven PD, talk to the 'blonde girl cop or the cool non-talkative guy'-his words, not mine-and tell them his uncle is making boatloads now, probably from the B&B."

"Not sure who the kid is," he added, raising his hands in completion, "or who's his uncle. That's all I got."

"This kid," Audrey pressed, though her intuition told her she knew the answer already, "did he happen to have black hair? Maybe have a lip piercing?"

"Don't know how you know that," Duke stated impressively with a nod as he pointed at her, "but yeah, he did."

"Scott," Nathan muttered, as Audrey nodded towards him.

"Is that all he said?" Audrey questioned.

"Other than saying the fries were great, that was it."

"Okay," Audrey stated, pressing a hand to her temple, "thanks, Duke."

More confusion was simply added to her mind; was Teddy the one causing this? Or was he manipulating someone to do it? Obviously, he was benefiting from the B&B fire.

"You staying for a little bit?"

"Nah," he replied, "I've got to get back. Nora said she'd watch the Gull for me while I came over here, but her shift's almost finished."

"Alright," Audrey answered, "still keep us updated."

"You got it," he assured, nodding in their direction in goodbye.

"Go back to...reviewing case files," he added with a wink, stretching the last three words out sarcastically, before slipping out the door.

* * *

"Do you think it's Teddy, then?"

Audrey's question was soon asked after Nathan closed the front door.

Checking the wall clock, it'd gotten to be late at night already.

"He's got motive," Nathan stated factually.

"Or maybe," Audrey replied, pressing a hand to her cheek, as she leaned her elbow on the couch arm, "he's working with a troubled person, making him do the dirty work."

"Sorry about Duke," Nathan frowned, as he scratched the back of his neck awkwardly, still standing by the front door.

He wasn't to blame for Duke's words, but he had known the guy for awhile, so he still felt oddly responsible.

"Not your fault," Audrey responded, a small smile gradually forming, "I know by now that's just him, and I'm assuming you've already known that for years."

"Tell me about it," Nathan muttered, now mirroring her expression, his mood lightening.

He headed towards the kitchen for a short excursion. Grabbing a glass of water, he settled down next to Audrey again, though leaving plenty of distance in between. He moved it towards his lips, beginning to take a sip.

"Besides," Audrey started, as her eyes glinted with amusement, "half the squad already thinks we're sleeping together."

Holding back the urge to spray out his water in surprise, Nathan couldn't help but cough down the liquid roughly, almost choking it down his throat.

"Who?" He managed to splutter out.

"Dunno," Audrey stated, barely giving him a second glance, "I've just heard stuff."

"I never have," Nathan continued, his knuckles whitening on the glass, "what kind of stuff?"

"Just run of the mill gossip," Audrey calmly answered as she skimmed another report, her tone full of nonchalance.

"Like?" He pressed.

He wanted to know what rumors were being spread around the workplace. It obviously wouldn't be good for their professional reputations.

Hopefully it's nothing too bad, he thought to himself, as he waited patiently for her to continue.

"First, ease up," she gestured to his tense knuckles that dangerously covered the fragile glass cup.

Obligingly, he did so.

"You know," Audrey muttered vaguely, cheeks feeling warm, "just stuff."

She studied the report now, still feeling Nathan's eyes on her.

Glancing up, there he was; waiting for an actual answer.

"Did you put ointment on your wounds?" She asked.

"Stop changing the subject." He countered.

"Stop dodging the question." She shot back, cursing him for knowing her ulterior motives that well, for knowing _her_ that well.

"Yes, I did." Nathan nodded, still sitting patiently for a reply to his earlier question.

Letting out a sigh, she averted his gaze as she spoke.

"Apparently we've done 'it'," she motioned her hands wildly in indication of the two letter word's significant meaning, "several times in our joint office when we work late."

Nathan saw his tense knuckles whiten pale, as his face redden slightly from fury and awkwardness.

"You don't know who's saying these things?" Nathan repeated with an edge, wanting to thoroughly give the gossiper a piece of his mind. Maybe his fist as well.

"No," Audrey shook her head, "and honestly, I'm glad."

Raising an eyebrow, Nathan turned towards her.

"Not only because I would have to try _extremely_ hard to resist the urge to punch them," she explained calmly, barely looking up at him, "but I'm not sure you would even try to stop that urge."

"You have a point," Nathan mumbled, his lips quirking at her nonchalant spoken words.

Somewhere in the middle of the conversation, they had moved closer.

Audrey studied him, the way he flicked his tongue on his lips.

Her breath hitched at the small movement, and she could hear his own turn ragged from where her gaze was focused.

His blue eyes were stormy, probably matching her own.

Nathan, her partner and partner _only_, she tried forcing herself to recall.

But those thoughts flew out of her mind at the moment.

He watched her, watched her eyes moving back and forth from his own to his mouth curiously (just as his vision was on the same path).

With a second of hesitation, he reached for her.

He let his fingers softly brush her hair behind her ear, and then let his hand slowly fall.

She bit back a whimper at the gentle movement.

He could hear her heart beating like a locomotive, just as she could likely hear his doing the same.

"Audrey," he lightly murmured.

* * *

To Be Continued...


	20. Not Sleeping

Author's Note: I'm sorry, but Nathan/Audrey aren't getting together in this ch-SIKE! Enjoy, my dear readers! ;D

* * *

**"Audrey," he lightly** **murmured.**

* * *

She studied his warm eyes; the lust, the desire, the need.

She allowed her hand to rub against his stubble. Her finger traced freely; his jawline, the sides of his face, the dimple on his chin. He let out a gasp as she continued her adventure.

He never let his eyes leave hers, piercing her. That is until he spoke, his words full of tentativeness.

"You're not just my partner," Nathan confessed, his head turning down to shyly look away, "not anymore."

Audrey took the sentence in, she turned them around in her mind. They made her feel grounded, they made her feel warmth.

Those simple syllables made her feel something she hadn't expected; home. She never got close to anyone, but he made her want to. And she was willing to take that risk, take that risk with him.

She watched the man before her, a gentle smile forming.

Pressing a hand to each side of his face, she forced him to meet her gaze.

"You're not just my partner, either," she stated, letting her stare fall to his lips, just as he did the same towards hers.

And then, as if in sync, they moved towards each other simultaneously, lips finding lips.

It was a soft kiss, a sweet one.

Full of promise, full of warmth.

She allowed herself to memorize the feel.

She felt herself melt against him, as she wrapped her arms around neck, lightly threading her fingers in his hair in soft rhythms.

He gasped lightly, letting his lips press against hers.

And then it became more.

She lightly traced the outline of his mouth with her tongue, eliciting a desire-filled groan from Nathan.

Pulling back, he watched her for a moment, blue eyes stormy, before searing her neck with hot open-mouthed kisses.

"We should recheck case files more often," she mumbled, running her fingers through his hair, as his lips continued their wet trail.

"That we should," he managed to get out, before Audrey grabbed him again, crashing her lips against his.

Their tongues tangoed, they swirled against one another with passion, pushing against the other boldly.

She grasped his shirt, pulling him on top of her.

Then, after her persistent tugging, he swiftly pulled it off after her trembling hands helped unbuttoning it.

"You know how distracting it's been to put ointment on this?" She questioned, as her lips trailed hot kisses on the hard planes of his chest, avoiding his wounds.

"No idea," he practically rasped out, his voice husky, his nerves overloading.

"Very," she stated simply, pressing another kiss to his lips.

"We have to be careful," she warned, glancing at his wounds.

"That's optional," Nathan stated with a smirk, in between kisses, as her hands grabbed his waist.

"Nathan," Audrey began, using all her will power, as she stopped her hands of their delicious exploration.

He gave her a distracted "hmm?", as he continued pressing soft kisses to her skin.

"I'm serious," Audrey pressed, pushing him to meet her gaze.

Nathan studied her. Her swollen lips, her locks of blonde hair, her blue eyes stormy. Then he lowered his lips to hers.

"I. Promise. I. Will." He assured firmly, kissing her in between each word.

"Good," Audrey moaned vaguely, distractedly, as she allowed a tremor to go to down her spine.

"Take me to bed," she stated naturally, no doubt in tone.

Nathan abruptly raised his head, letting both pairs of stormy ocean-blue eyes meet.

"And not to sleep." She added teasingly, as she licked her lips suggestively. Her hands tugged firmly at his belt, playing with the loops, as it caused him to gulp back a throaty groan.

"Gosh," Nathan frowned, shaking his head in fake regret, he quickly glanced at the wall clock, then back at her to respond, "I actually wanted to turn in."

"Oh, yeah, you're right. It's getting late," Audrey nodded in mock understanding, as she began to move out from under him, "well, good night, then."

She didn't even get one foot off the couch before he grabbed her waist, gently but firmly pinning her back in place underneath him.

"The sass just gets stronger I see," Nathan muttered, as he ran a feather-light finger across her lower lip, "even when we're in this particular position."

"You take what you can get, Wuornos," Audrey replied wittily with a mischievous smile, as she tangled her hand into his soft hair lazily.

Their eyes locked once more, blue meeting blue.

Softly placing his hand at the back of her neck, Nathan pressed a single, tender kiss to her lips that threaten her equilibrium.

Without another word, he swiftly carried her bridal style (which elicited a giggle from her), as he lead her towards his bedroom.

For _not_ sleeping of course.

* * *

"You know," Audrey muttered contently, as she lazily trailed a finger down Nathan's bare chest, "Duke is going to be intolerable, now."

They laid in bed the next morning; warm sheets covering them, sunlight pouring in through the curtains, legs tangled together.

"I'll live," Nathan stated as his lips quirked, pressing another kiss to the side of her throat.

"Mmm," she sighed, "that you will."

She faced him, a smile on her lips, mirroring his expression.

"We have to put those rumors at the station to good use at least, too," Audrey continued, biting her lip and squinting her eyes in mock thought.

"How might we do that?" Nathan asked while nuzzling into the crook of her neck, letting Audrey feel his smile rather than see it. His hands ran down her sides, making her tremble in delight, before she recovered.

"Change them from gossip to truth," she quipped, her voice low. Her words made Nathan glance up at her. His blue eyes stormy with desire, his pink lips swollen from kisses.

"Can be arranged," he stated in a husky voice, swiftly settling on top of her, lips quirking upwards at her now ragged breathing, "but we should practice more."

And they did exactly that.

* * *

After finally managing to push themselves out of bed, Nathan cooked up some pancakes.

"I bet you make these for every woman that stays the night," Audrey teased, as Nathan handed her the maple syrup to put on her breakfast.

"Only the ones I'm working with," he dead panned, laughing when she lightly flicked the back of his neck, which was covered by a turtle neck sweater. It looked similar to the sweater he'd worn during her first case in Haven.

"Setting a new trend, Wuornos?" Audrey smirked, nodding at his covering attire.

He snaked an arm around her waist from behind her, pulling her towards him, as he whispered in her ear.

"We both know why I'm wearing this," he mumbled, enjoying the shiver she gave out at his closeness.

She nodded while laughing, and he felt her movement's vibrations, as she leaned into him. Her cheeks blushed pink, once she recalled her actions earlier.

He'd felt so much like a teenager again, wearing a turtle neck to hide mischief.

"We're heading to Teddy's today, right?" Nathan questioned, as the two sat down to eat.

"Yeah," Audrey nodded, "we need to know more. See if he's related, ask him about the abrupt increase in income."

Clearing the dishes, they headed towards the door.

Glancing back at Nathan, Audrey smiled as she closed the distance between them.

His lips quirked, as he raised an eyebrow.

Before he could say another word, she brushed a finger to the corner of his mouth.

She held it up, showing off the sticky maple syrup.

Licking it off her finger, she smirked at his now stormy eyes, his parted lips.

"I wanted to do that back at the office," Audrey stated, recalling the memory, "but I guess I can now."

"That you can," Nathan replied, voice husky.

She quickly kissed him, fast enough so he couldn't deepen it. Because if he did, she knew for a fact instead of heading towards the front door, they'd be heading straight back to the bedroom.

"Guess I can do that now, too," Audrey added confidently, letting herself examine his chiseled features, before walking out the door.

Lagging behind, Nathan smiled, as he shook his head ruefully.

Then he ran off right after her, where she was waiting in the Bronco.

And with that, they left to visit Theodore Pierson.

* * *

To Be Continued...


	21. The Innkeepers

Author's Note: What did everyone else think of the season four finale? For me, chaotic and melancholy are words that come to mind.

* * *

**And with that, they left to visit Theodore Pierson.**

* * *

"Oh," the innkeeper muttered examining the duo, "you two again."

"That's right," Audrey nodded.

Searching the front desk, she was confused not to see Scott.

He's gone, she remembered.

She felt a brightness of hope and certainty; the kid would be just fine.

"If you two aren't here to book a room, can we make this quick?" Theodore asked impatiently, cutting to the chase.

"The B&B was set fire to, you were aware of this, right?" Audrey firmly questioned.

"Course I was," the man shook his head, bored, "it's been in the Herald."

"We've heard from several witnesses that you've been making more income since."

"And?" He grumbled.

"Why is that?"

"The other Inn just got burned to ash," Theodore explained condescendingly, "so people've been flocking here."

"Do you know anyone that may've wanted to do that to the B&B, Mr. Pierson?" Audrey pressed.

"That Cletus Philman, but he's dead now."

"Have you recently been in contact with Helen Seymour, the former owner of the B&B?" Nathan asked.

"Yeah."

The duo glanced at one another.

"Care to specify?" Audrey inquired, annoyed at his vagueness.

"She came by my house yesterday," Theodore explained, "wanted to ask me if I'd give her back her old clients if she decided to rebuild the B&B."

"What'd you say?" Nathan asked.

"Hell no," Theodore stated, looking at him incredulously, "they aren't her clients anymore, they're mine. Told her it was best if she left. Not my fault her Inn got burnt down."

"It's not?" Audrey asked, an edge to her voice.

"I don't like what you're insinuating, Officer," the innkeeper warned, "yes, I want good business. But I'd never play dirty to get it."

"Now if you'll excuse me, I got better things to do than be accused of arson."

With the last word, he stormed off from them.

* * *

"Not as helpful as I thought it would be," Audrey stated as she sat in the passenger seat, referring to their visit.

"At least we got one thing," Nathan continued, hopping into the Bronco's drivers side, "Helen visited him."

"That's true," Audrey nodded, turning towards him, "where do we head next then; Seymour's house, or to the station?"

"To the Seymour's first, to make sure that Theodore's explanation checks out," Nathan justified, as his tongue flicked out to moisten his lips.

Audrey groaned with light annoyance, as she jumped into his lap, eliciting a quizzical look from him.

Before Nathan could say another word, she roughly pushed her lips to his, as their tongues began their familiar tango.

Remembering they had to breathe, they broke apart, panting heavily.

"Let me know what I did to make you do that, for future usage," Nathan muttered with his lips quirked as his breathing settled, his eyes remained closed, as he rested his forehead against hers.

"You really need to stop licking your lips around me," Audrey stated informatively, as she leaned close to his ear for her next few words, "it's hard to focus, not to mention extremely distracting."

"Noted," Nathan replied, eyes opened, his voice throaty, husky.

His hands rested on her waist, as she pressed another kiss to his mouth.

"And stop making your voice all seductively low," she added, allowing her finger to trace his jaw. After that was done, she rested her hands near the soft hair at the nape of his neck, running her fingers through it. He shivered, which delighted her all the more.

"It's not," Nathan defended, pulling her closer, "and even if it was, I can't help it. You have that effect on me."

"As well as other effects," she smirked, squirming pleasurably on his lap.

"Parker," Nathan groaned out, desire eliciting at her every movement.

"If you keep this up," he warned while settling a kiss to the side of her neck,"we won't be leaving the Bronco for hours."

"Mmm," she hummed mischievously, her eyes glinting with humor, "I like the sound of that."

He groaned, this time in in good-natured incredulity. His lips claimed hers, as they made a trail from Audrey's lower neck, up to the corner of her mouth.

"You love making everything difficult," he stated as a fact, his mouth continuing its sensual duty, "don't you?"

"Depends on what that 'thing' is," Audrey replied, her voice coming in shallow breaths, her eyes fluttering closed.

She gripped his upper arm tightly for support, the path his lips were creating made her weak in the knees.

Teasingly, he stopped his exploration. He examined her puckering mouth, but didn't take any action towards pressing a full kiss to her lips.

She pouted, which elicited a grin from him, as he held his mouth a breath away from hers, playfully.

"And," he added, finally pressing soft, fulfilling kisses to her lips in between every word, "most likely get arrested for public indecency."

"Wouldn't be the worst thing to happen," she murmured, pressing her lips lingeringly to his for the last time, as she swiftly slid off his lap with a moment of hesitancy.

"No, it wouldn't," Nathan muttered, giving her one last glance, his eyes filled with raw hunger, as he started the engine, heading off.

* * *

"Hello Helen," Audrey greeted with a smile.

"Mrs. Seymour," Nathan nodded.

"Why hello again," the woman exclaimed with a smile.

"Helen," Audrey started, "we wanted to ask you a few questioned about Theodore Pierson."

"Not too fond of the man," she answered with a frown, before smiling at the two again, "but come in, of course."

* * *

"I'd just made some tea," Helen stated as she led them to the living room, "would you two like some?"

"No thanks," Audrey replied, as Nathan shook his head kindly.

"Alright then," Helen nodded, as she sat down across from the two, "Ask quietly, since Rebecca just got Henry asleep."

"Of course," Audrey assured.

"You did visit Theodore Pierson yesterday, then?" Nathan questioned.

"Yes, that's right." Helen nodded.

"Why?"

"This is silly," Helen muttered as she looked down at her hands, "but I wanted to ask if I could have my old tenants back if I rebuilt the Inn."

The duo glanced at each other.

Theodore's explanation checked out.

"Are you thinking of rebuilding?" Audrey asked.

"Maybe," Helen continued, "but I guess I just would've like to know that even if I didn't, the option would still be there for me."

"What did Mr. Pierson say?" Nathan inquired.

"He said no," the old woman answered, "...but in more colorful words."

"How so?"

"He threw in a couple of curses, shouted," Helen nodded, "told me to leave, because they were his clients now."

"What a terrible man," a voice from the hallway added.

They turned, seeing Rebecca take a seat close by.

"I told my daughter all about it," Helen explained, "she had similar feelings."

"Do you think it was him?" Rebecca asked, her voice angry.

Her mother was entirely disrespected by this man, she had the right to some fury.

"Too soon to tell," Audrey answered, because honestly, they didn't know.

"The worst part is that I left my old key chain there," Helen interrupted, her eyes sad, "the one Helen got me some 20 years ago, when I first opened the B&B."

"You kept that?" Rebecca asked, shaking her head ruefully at her mother.

"You were just a child then," Helen smiled at her daughter, "told me it would cause good luck for the Inn. It got rusty, but I kept it."

The duo headed towards the door, saying their goodbyes, as the former innkeeper walked them out.

"You've been taking good care of Ms. Parker, now haven't you?" Helen questioned sternly.

"Doing my best, ma'am," Nathan nodded as his lips quirked ever so slightly, his blue eyes glinted with warmth as he looked towards his partner.

"Ahhh," the old woman sighed happily, watching Nathan, "I can see it in your eyes, just like Eddie'd look at me. You're a goner, young man."

"And happily so," Nathan added, his gaze unwavering from Audrey.

"Thank you for your time," Nathan nodded respectfully at Helen, before heading off to start the Bronco.

Audrey watched him go, smiling.

"I'll see if I can get back your keychain, Helen," Audrey stated kindly.

"Oh thank you," the woman replied gratefully, as she grabbed Audrey into a warm hug.

"You remember that bottle I'd accidentally dropped at Cletus's before the fire?" Helen asked, pulling back.

"Yes, I'm sorry I can't give that back," Audrey apologized, evidence was evidence.

"It's alright, my dear. It's just that Eddie had given it to Rebecca before he passed. Told her when she had children of her own, she could use it. After losing that, I couldn't bear it if I lost something else."

"I understand," Audrey nodded gently.

Though really, she didn't.

No family heirlooms, no family traditions.

She'd hope to make some in Haven though.

"Thank you again, dear," Helen smiled, waving in goodbye as Audrey walked away.

* * *

"Pierson's words check out," Nathan stated, as Audrey hopped into the passenger seat.

"Unfortunately," Audrey agreed.

She didn't like the guy, and wanted to nail him.

"Guess we should head back to the station." She added, twirling a lock of hair.

"Let's make a pit stop for some lunch first," Nathan replied, glancing at her.

"Where to?" Audrey inquired, raising an eyebrow.

"You pick," Nathan casually responded.

"You really are a goner, young man," Audrey teased, repeating Helen's words.

"Wouldn't be the worst thing to happen," Nathan answered, throwing her earlier statement right back at her with quirked lips.

Audrey smiled, as his ocean eyes examined her own comfortably.

She ignored the flip in her stomach gave at his gaze, at his words.

Nathan turned the engine on, and they drove off.

* * *

To Be Continued...


	22. Productive Work Day

Author's Note: This chapter is longer than most, due to some heated Naudrey. Thought it would be nice for us Havenites, since the season finale was not so great for those two. Enjoy! :)

* * *

**Nathan turned the engine on, and they drove off.**

* * *

"That was good," Audrey sighed, as they headed into the station.

"You talking about lunch, or the drive here?" Nathan asked stoically.

"Why not both?" She remarked, receiving a small smile from her partner.

From her time in Haven, from her time with Nathan, Audrey Parker was getting better at reading her partner. She didn't need a smile or laugh to know when he was joking now. His sapphire eyes would twinkle with amusement, the corners of his mouth would faintly quirk, attempting a tiny smile. She just knew. Just like he knew her.

Grinning as she closed the door to their office, Audrey turned around to see her partner watching her.

"You doing half of this with me?" Nathan questioned towards her, lifting up the pile of paperwork that needed to be filled out.

"Is there a second option?" Audrey quipped teasingly, though she hoped there was one.

Filling out paperwork and file reports was her biggest pet peeve of law enforcement. The worst part was, they had to be elaborate with them. Thinking up new ways to explain a Trouble; a gas leak, a virus going around, a intentional crime. A single slip from them, and the different agencies from all around the country would be flocking towards the small town in Maine. Discretion was key. Even if they didn't like it, they had to.

"You could fill it out alone and I just watch you do all the work," Nathan dead panned, grabbing a pen.

"Mmm," Audrey hummed, as if considering it, while she walked towards his desk to grab a file report, "and why would you be watching me in this scenario?"

"Watching you work is amusing," Nathan answered easily, trying to cover his uncomfortableness as the words tumbled out of his mouth, as he handed her a few case files.

"How?" Audrey asked, genuine curiosity in her tone. She examined her partner; still standing in front of his desk, ignoring the chair as he thought.

"You do things," he explained with an awkward scratch to the back of his neck.

Audrey raised an eyebrow in response, waiting for him to continue on.

"You narrow your eyes when you're really focusing," Nathan began to list, counting off each example on his fingers, "occasionally frown when you look deep in thought, scrunch up your nose when you're confused."

"Huh," she replied impressively, ignorant of her own actions while at work, "aren't you observant, Officer Wuornos."

"Wouldn't be working here if I wasn't," he added, light but good-natured confidence slipping into his tone.

"True, but admit it," Audrey countered, her voice full of laughter, as she continued to say in a sing-song manner, "you watch me because you like looking at me."

"That too," Nathan confessed seriously, his lips quirking sheepishly.

Audrey bit her lip, holding back a shy grin, as she looked around at the surrounding closed blinds of the firmly shut office door.

Heading towards him determinedly, she grabbed a fistful of his Henley casually, erasing the distance between them. When their lips were a mere breath away, she looked to his tantalizing mouth, then to his stormy eyes that were watching her every move silently.

"I like looking at you too," she confirmed in a hypnotic murmur, her eyes unable to waver from his, "maybe a little too much."

She meant to add the second line mentally to herself, but it somehow blurted out.

Nathan flashed a lopsided grin, his eyes shining with visible cockiness at the words that came out of her lips.

With her free hand that wasn't currently grasping at his shirt, she lightly slapped the back of his head.

"What was that for?" Nathan asked in mock hurt, his voice rumblingly low.

"For showing me your ego has been dangerously growing to your head," she replied playfully.

He let out a chuckle, as did she, before he turned to look at her again.

His eyes regained their storminess, as they glanced down at her lips.

"I'm pretty sure this qualifies as inappropriate conduct in the workplace," Nathan muttered, as he changed the subject in a throaty tone, his eyes silently motioning to their closeness.

Audrey exhaled deeply through her nose at his words with a smirk, laughter in her action.

Her fingers toyed with the fabric of his shirt as she spoke, which she was holding onto fiercely.

"Like we've always played by the book," she responded, rolling her eyes, "besides, rules are overrated."

"Someone could walk in," Nathan countered , though his features showed he agreed with her way of thinking, showed he was tempted.

She slowly walked towards the door, her eyes never leaving his as she calmly locked it. She stalked back in front of Nathan's desk, standing before him. He stood too, looming over her, as she tilted her head upwards slightly to meet his gaze.

She was like the persuasive devil on his shoulder. A cute one.

He wanted to let his inner instincts take over, but he quiveringly tried to remain in control over himself.

"Parker," Nathan started once more, but she cut him off wordlessly.

Shifting her hand that had previously held onto him, she thrust it underneath his shirt, beginning to she trace small circles on his bare chest, as she trailed the geometric artwork down to his abs, and traveling a little above the hem of his jeans.

He inhaled sharply, the sudden contact abruptly delightful.

"You fight dirty," Nathan stated, his voice a husky growl, as he connected their lips before Audrey could utter another word.

Their mouths fit perfectly against the other, pressing passionately, the sweetness of the gesture lighting up the both of them inside.

Nathan rested his hands on her raw waist, where her shirt had ridden up.

He tenderly nibbled on her lower lip, something stirring in him as she elicited a soft moan. The simple kiss became much more, as his tongue teased her lips apart in eager entrance.

She was restless with standing. Nathan could tell just by the way her right leg kept jumping up and down. He tore his lips away from hers, ignoring how the warmth left them, as he wildly pushed the files and writing utensils on his desk to the side. As if she weighted less than a paper crane, he swiftly placed her atop his desk, carrying her tenderly like a ballerina.

Audrey was happily surprised at how her new position made her roughly his height, as she hooked her legs around his waist, pulling their hips closer.

He grunted pleasurably at the move. They continued leisurely. Tongues collided, nipping at the other with delightful shivers. Hands roamed freely, with no limitations. Their daze was interrupted though, when Audrey pushed his chest away gently.

"We have to stop," she managed to get out, her voice awakening them from the silence, as she tried to calm the shallow breaths consuming her normally mediocre tone. Her legs fell loosely from his body with regretful tentativeness.

"You don't want me to do this?" Nathan asked innocently, as he continued pressing open mouth kisses to the hollow of her throat.

He felt the sensitive skin underneath his lips flush, felt a tremor go through her.

"Yes, no, I mean-" she stammered distractedly, allowing her hand to be drawn back to his sturdy upper arms, where she ran her fingers up and down them. She held onto him tightly, thinking if she let go, his touches would finally get to her knees, making them weak enough to fail her.

"Could you repeat the question?" Audrey asked, sighing against him, leaning into him.

Nathan comfortably nuzzled into the crook of her neck, her lack of focus due to him causing a smile to press against her shoulder.

"We have to stop," she repeated, this time the words with more clearness, since his lips weren't attached to her skin.

Nathan pulled back from his comfortable position, glancing towards her. Holding back a groan of frustration mixed with disappointment, he raised an eyebrow in silent question. He would always be a gentlemen with her, would never even think about pushing her. But the way her hand was toying with his belt loops, made him know she was the one pulling.

"Right now," she began informatively with a knowledgable tone, "we're bordering on that 'inappropriate conduct in the workplace' line. We're pushing just against it."

"And," Nathan murmured, knowing there was more, knowing she wanted to continue on. Wordlessly, he played with a lock of her silky, honey-colored hair. Her breath hitched at the sweet but intimate gesture, as she willed herself to go on with her speech.

"And," she stretched out the single word, "I know for a fact that in less than ten minutes, that line will be crossed quickly. And, it'll be forgotten about; we won't even remember there was a line."

He dropped his hand from her tendrils, reaching up to run it roughly through his own with a shaky sigh.

"You're right," he agreed with a frustrated nod of his head, though he wished she wasn't.

His brow furrowed, as several creases invaded his forehead at the action. He frowned, adding to his visible discontent, when he looked up to see her observing his facial features.

"You're cute when you make that face," Audrey commented, grinning.

Nathan shot her an incredulous look at her choice of words, which only made her grin wider.

"Besides," she quipped teasingly, "those rumors specified at night when everyone's gone and the station's empty. Not during the daytime; when this place is loud and crowded, when everyone has their shifts."

Nathan practically growled at her words, as he placed a hand on the desk to each side of her roughly.

Feeling like a trapped, caged animal, Audrey felt her heart beat furiously. Not of fear, but rather of adrenaline.

He leaned towards the sensitive skin of her ear to whisper into it, as his hot breath lingered, obtaining a tremor from her.

"Instigator," he muttered huskily, before lowering his lips to hers. Her lips contently pressed against his, feeling relaxed. They molded against the other; like a perfect fit.

When the necessity of air made its presence known, they broke apart. Nathan kissed her lower lip slowly once, before finally pulling away, raking his stormy blue eyes across her face.

Her flushed cheeks were tinged pink, her ocean gaze matching his storminess, her tea rose-tinted lips swollen from delicious kisses.

"Guilty," she stated with a shy smile, finally responding to his name-calling.

With the single word uttered in reply, Audrey grabbed both sides of Nathan's face. Pulling him towards her, she pressed a soft, sweet kiss to his cheek.

Then she slid off his desk swiftly before she could have second thoughts, bending under his arm that had caged her, to head back to her own desk.

She could feel his pacific-blue eyes watching her walk. She didn't look back though, didn't throw him a second glance.

If she did, she knew she'd run back over there for much more than what had just occurred.

Nathan pushed his hand to his cheek, rubbing the skin where he guessed her lips had previously been. If he closed his eyes, he could still feel their softness. Then, he moved his fingers to lips, rubbing the skin there where her lips had captured. If he closed his eyes, he could still feel their warmth.

He smiled as he watched his partner steal a glance his way, a schoolgirl-like blush touched her cheeks at being caught. He knew that in that exact moment, even though he couldn't feel it, his heart was probably pounding rapidly in pure bliss, in pure euphoria.

* * *

To Be Continued...


	23. Relaxing Evening

Author's Note: An update is my gift to you, my dear and lovely reviewers/followers! Merry Christmas to those who celebrate it; Happy Holidays to all! :) xo

Another Naudrey-filled chapter; my method of healing from the season finale (hopefully this helps for you too...?), so there will probably be a lot of these. Let me know what you think! I especially love hearing some of your favorite lines/scenes.

* * *

**He knew that in that exact moment, even though he probably couldn't feel it, his heart was pounding rapidly in pure bliss, in pure euphoria.**

* * *

Heading home was the same as always; comfortable.

As Nathan opened the front door, he smiled at the weary sigh his partner let out. The kind of sigh that conveys the words 'finally-back-at-home', with a single exhale.

"Cook me dinner tonight," Audrey stated, her commanding words bringing them out of the silence.

He glanced towards her, to which she simply replied by nudging his shoulder.

"Pretty sure that's what I usually do," Nathan answered, an eyebrow cocked.

"True," Audrey nodded, with a sheepish grin.

"What?" He inquired, his curiosity piquing, noticing her cheeks lightly coloring a carnation pink.

"Guess I just wanted to say it like a demanding girlfriend would," she responded with a shrug, eliciting an airy laugh at her foolishness.

Girlfriend. The word rolled off her tongue so easily, so simply.

It was crazy how taking the space out between the two words changed its meaning so drastically.

Nathan's lips quirked at her, delight seeping through him to know. To know that's how she saw herself to him now.

A partner, a friend. And now, more.

"Girlfriend, huh?" Nathan teased, enjoying the way her cheeks continued to flush.

"If you're sure you want to be stuck with this-" Audrey lightly replied, gesturing to herself, "-I come with baggage."

The last four words were stated with forced casualness, though he could tell she really meant it.

She didn't know any of her family. She wasn't always the most trusting, though she was with the man before her. She wouldn't want to put a burden on him, with her mess of a life. She was used to surviving and looking out for one person, and only one person. Audrey Parker; herself. She didn't want him to have to worry about that. Worry about her issues, about her identity.

He wouldn't take any of her non-sense, any of her self-doubt, though.

"Don't we all?" Nathan quipped, taking a step towards her. He was going for light humor, but he meant it truthfully. She could tell.

Those three simple words made her feel better. But his expression did even more ridiculously so.

He watched her with solid sureness gleaming his blue eyes, unwavering confidence in his quirked lips, an assuring nod.

He didn't care for baggage; he cared for her. He wanted the whole deal.

"Besides," he added stoically, after seeing her demeanor brighten, "you've already got the whole 'demanding' thing down."

He was rewarded with a flick to his neck, which he was gladly getting used to.

"I'm not demanding," Audrey defended, a tinge of uncertainty lacing her words.

"'Course not," Nathan nodded vigorously, with a mock expression of seriousness.

"I'm just-just- firmly vocal about what I want, that's all," she continued to convince (him or herself, he hadn't a clue).

"Firmly vocal," Nathan repeated, with a thoughtful grin, "I guess that's one way to word it."

He placed a hand next to her head, leaning it against the wall she was pressed up towards.

"And," she continued to ramble without glancing at him, ignoring how close he was, "it's a good trait to have, you need to be firm in law enforcement."

"Firm you are," Nathan muttered suggestively as he twirled a tendril of her smooth hair, a smirk playing on his lips.

"Nathan Thaddeus Wuornos," Audrey started, a twinkle of something unreadable in her sapphire eyes.

She loved saying his full name, as she ignored how his eyebrow raised at his middle name uttered from her lips.

"Are you trying seduce me?"

The question slipped out with humorous accusation, earning a small grin from him.

"Maybe," Nathan replied as he put his hands on her waist, his gaze locked with hers, "is it working?"

"Maybe," Audrey imitated with a smile, wittiness dowsing her tone, as she allowed her palms to slide up against his lean chest.

She pulled his shirt up a little, relief filling her features.

"Healed," she mumbled, letting go of it with a satisfied nod.

Nathan exhaled deeply, his fingers pushing a lock of hair behind her ear.

It amazed him that she could still think and care for his injuries, even when it had happened over a week ago. Even when they were so close to one another physically right then.

Sea-tinted eyes met the deep indigo shaded ones.

"Kiss me," Audrey spoke, her tone unintentionally turning soft and dream-like, glancing down to his mouth.

"Demanding," Nathan muttered with a smile, before lowering his lips to hers.

It was soft, slow, and sweet.

Nothing heated, just a tender peck.

Though a tender peck from him could still make her toes curl.

They broke apart slowly, still a mere breath's distance between the two.

"If you're the demanding girlfriend," Nathan finally stated after a moment of comfortable silence passed, his eyes remaining closed as their foreheads leaned against each other, "does that make me the possessive boyfriend?"

"Indeed it does," Audrey confirmed, a smile in her voice as her eyes fluttered open.

"Good," he replied, watching her with his lips tilted, "you'd better not be talking to Stan too much, I see the way he looks at you when he gives you file reports."

She let out a laugh at his words, finding hilarity in the whole 'alpha-male' tone he portrayed well, a bit dangerously too well.

"I won't," Audrey promised, her eyes glinting with amusement and humor, using a mock stern voice as she continued, "but you better make Laverne stop calling you hon'."

"I'll see what I can do," Nathan nodded in fake understanding, as he pressed his lips to hers once more.

Threading their hands together, he lead them both towards the kitchen for dinner.

* * *

"You know," Audrey stated, her arms weaving around Nathan's waist from behind of their own accord, "statistics show men who cook appeal to women more than

those who can't."

His steady hands were whisking pancake batter on the counter, as she pressed her cheek against his back.

The only notion that he'd heard he words was an abrupt clanking noise due to the whisk colliding with the side of the bowl. Or maybe that was just because of her physical actions in that moment, not verbal.

"Where'd you get that tidbit from?" Nathan inquired, his deep voice dripping with incredulity.

"Magazines, books, the Internet," Audrey replied with a factual tone, as she was listing off sources.

She grinned into his back before adding, "personal experience,".

"You seeing a chef behind my back?" Nathan questioned mirthfully, his tone giving away the smile that covered his face.

"Nope," Audrey continued, popping the 'p', "just this guy that has a weird fetish for breakfast food."

"What's not to like about pa-breakfast food?"

"I guess you're right," Audrey nodded, as she kissed his upper arm, where his shirt sleeve had ridden up to reveal bare skin.

Recovering from the sudden shock of her lips, Nathan resumed.

She let her arms fall loose away from him, as he poured the batter onto the pan, forming a perfect circle.

"If it makes you feel better," Nathan dead panned, focusing intently on the stove, "I'm guessing this guy has an even weirder fetish for petite, blonde cops. Ones that talk too much."

Audrey's eyebrows shot up at the last sentence, to which he only chuckled.

"Well," she countered, "I have an odd liking towards men with impassive facial expressions, who turn to mush in front of babies."

"Mush sounds a bit soft, don't you think?" Nathan asked while flipping a pancake, his eyebrows knitting together in thought.

"I like soft," Audrey shrugged nonchalantly, as she set the table, a smile on her lips.

"I'll keep that in mind," he answered, a grin tugging at the corners of his mouth, as he plopped a heap of pancakes in each plate.

Sitting down to eat, they chattered away. Whether joking or talking case-related, it was nice. Companionable silence came and went freely, no sight of awkwardness or uncomfortableness around.

After finishing dish duty, they both headed towards the hallway leading to the bedrooms.

Audrey glanced up at Nathan as she turned to head towards the door leading to her bedroom, uncertainty simmering inside her.

She was being ridiculous about this. Overanalyzing, over-thinking.

He still needed his own privacy, that wouldn't change their relationship. She shouldn't act so pushy.

"Well, uhm," Audrey mumbled unsurely, a nervous laugh escaping through her lips, "Good night, then."

She took half a step, before realizing he'd grabbed her wrist, tenderly but solidly all at once.

Turning back around, she met his amused ocean-blue gaze. Obviously her awkward dance was fun for him to watch.

"Come to bed with me," Nathan stated, no doubt seeping into his tone, as he observed her tentative expression.

His words relaxed her, as she grinned foolishly.

She pulled on the collar of his shirt, managing to make him lower his stance to decrease the space between them.

"Sorry," Audrey responded, whispering playfully, "any extracurricular activities other than sleep, will have to wait for tomorrow. I'm tired."

"That's not-I never meant-I didn't even think-" Nathan stammered as his eyes widened, his ears turning crimson red.

Audrey leaned on her tiptoes to press a kiss to his cheek, silencing him. Comfortably, she wrapped her arms around his neck, and then locked his cobalt blue gaze.

"I know what you meant," Audrey smiled, enjoying how he visibly eased.

Nathan shook his head ruefully at his gullibility, his lips quirking.

"C'mon then," he persisted, with a lopsided grin.

* * *

"Here," Nathan stated, glancing at her as he threw her his favorite shirt across the bedroom.

Audrey caught it easily with one hand. Ignoring Nathan's step towards the door to give her privacy, she stripped quickly before putting it on. The soothing scent of Nathan filled her pleasantly as she shrugged on the baggy, loose shirt; the simple aroma calming her.

Nathan felt as though his navy-blue eyes would pop out of his head, having seen her entire jig.

"You know you've seen me naked before, right?" She questioned amusingly, cocking her head to the side.

Nathan nodded with his ears tinting fractionally, his lips quirking at her words.

"But for someone who's tired," he muttered, his voice marginally husky, "you sure know how to make it seem like you're not."

It was true, she knew precisely how to push his buttons.

Audrey rolled her eyes good-naturedly, her cheeks turning a light rose color.

"Get your head out of the gutter, Wuornos," she playfully scolded. As she toyed with the end of his shirt, she realized how the color of it matched his eyes. It made her love the clothing more.

It skimmed near to mid-thigh, showing off her bare legs, which Nathan attempted to stop gawking at like a young teenage boy.

"Sorry I've been stealing your clothes," Audrey apologized sheepishly, a small smile on her face.

She'd yet to give him back all those shirts and sweatpants, which she cozily wore to bed every night.

"It's okay," Nathan assured, his appreciative eyes raking her body, licking his lips before he continued, "they look better on you, anyway."

Audrey laughed with a shy shake of her head, as she resumed playing with the hem of the overly-large clothing.

Nathan stole a glance in her direction, a pair of shorts in his hand, his face filled with uncertainty.

"You're too shy to change in front of me?" His partner asked, laughter seeping into her.

"I sleep in the raw," Nathan answered stoically, watching her reaction.

Now it was her turn for her eyes to widen, as they looked up and down his clothed body imaginatively. Her cheeks blushed cotton candy-like pink, as she nervously pushed a lock of hair behind her ear.

She would definitely have trouble sleeping, if that was his sleeping attire.

Satisfied and amused with her flustered response, Nathan continued.

"I sleep in the raw, as in I only wear shorts." He amended, a smile tugging at his lips, as he threw her own words back at her, "get your head out of the gutter, Parker."

She bit her lip, attempting to hold back a grin. Not looking at him, Audrey slapped his shoulder, for making a fool of her. She breezily laid down on the large bed, stretching her smooth legs out. She laid on her stomach, as she leaned her elbow onto the bed, her hand holding her chin up. Kicking her legs back and forth playfully, she turned to meet his eyes.

"The suspense is killing me," Audrey teased mischievously, "start the show already."

Nathan didn't acknowledge her comment, though he rolled his eyes, ears flushing.

He unbuttoned and took off his shirt swiftly, and the white, close-fitting undershirt after that.

He could feel Audrey's gaze on him, surveying every inch of his bare skin.

Her tongue flicked out to moisten her suddenly dry lips, as she continued to watch him.

Loosening his belt, he swiftly took off his pants, to reveal the answer to an age old question; boxers.

"Do you really have to put those on?" Audrey muttered in a low voice, a deliciously low voice, as he reached for his shorts.

He could hear her rapid breaths, see her chest rising and falling deeply.

"If you actually want to get some sleep," Nathan replied as he pulled them on (disregarding the groan she let out at the action), enjoying her lustful eyes, "then yes."

"Fine," she frowned while putting her head to the pillow, her brow furrowing, as he flipped off the light switch.

Wordlessly, he laid down beside her. She couldn't see it in the darkness, but rather heard the bed spring creak, felt the shift of weight.

She turned in the opposite direction of him, mildly frustrated at his clothing decision.

He pressed kisses to her bare arm, amused when she didn't respond.

"You really only like me for my body, Parker?" Nathan asked, his voice laced with mock hurt.

She tried to continue giving him the cold shoulder, but wavered.

She turned around easily, so they were both face-to-face.

She tangled their legs together, leaning closer to him.

"Shallow, right?" Audrey agreed, her voice giving away the smile on her face.

"Wouldn't blame you, I'm extremely irresistible," Nathan offered, as he let his hand skim up her thigh, finally resting at the skin of her waist.

Audrey laughed, the pleasant sound making him grin.

"And vain," she added, allowing her finger to trace the planes of his chest, "which I'm only now getting to see."

A betraying yawn escaped her lips, as she leaned her head against his heart. She heard how fast it was beating, felt the steady thumps, the smooth rhythm.

"You should get some rest," Nathan spoke, as he pushed a lock of her hair behind her ear, "and I should too."

"You're right," Audrey concurred, abruptly turning around to no longer face him. His features showed the confusion she couldn't see.

"Cuddle me," she ordered, her voice direct, and dipped in a pleasant feeling.

The words blurted out, and they delightfully shocked her. She'd never liked physical contact from others growing up. But with the man beside her, she craved it. She couldn't get enough of it.

"You really going to still defend the whole 'not demanding' argument?" Nathan asked with fake incredulity.

Her reply was a flick to his chest, as she didn't bother turning around to do it. She repeated the two words, this time they were more laced with laughter at his earlier response.

"Yes ma'am," he teased, in reply to her command.

Silently, he threaded his arms around her waist from behind her, pulling her close to him. Spooning had never felt so fulfilling.

He felt the warmth of her legs radiating his, felt his breath hitch at the rare sensation.

Audrey leaned backwards into him, which made him smile. Nathan didn't know if she was doing it consciously or not, but regardless, she always did.

A content sigh eluded from her, as he nuzzled into the crook of her neck.

Legs remaining tangled together, she put her hands ontop of the hands that were wrapped around her.

"Good night, Nathan," she mumbled in a soft, sleepy voice, dipping her to head give his hand a quick peck.

Nathan pressed a muffled, feather-light kiss to the side of her neck.

"G'night, Parker," he contently answered back.

With those words uttered naturally, the two dazed off into a blissful sleep for the night.

* * *

To Be Continued...


	24. Human Heaters And Tainted Chivalry

Author's Note: Can any of you guess what Nathan's dreaming about? ;)

Who's guilty of stealing a Lexie DeWitt line or two in their fanfiction? *slowly raises hand*

* * *

**With those words uttered naturally, the two dazed off into a blissful sleep for the night.**

* * *

Audrey woke up the next morning, enveloped in warmth. She felt it immediately throughout her body, enjoying the odd sensation.

Mornings without the body heat of another person were cold; the teeth chattering kind, where you wanted to pull the covers upto your chin. Maine winters tended to do that, atleast to someone who wasn't quite a local yet.

Nathan's arm was still firmly wrapped around her waist, a protective and nice gesture.

She tentatively shifted around, as to not wake up Nathan, turning to face him.

A smile covered her lips, as she examined him.

His hair was untidy, sticking up in a hilariously adorable manner on one side, and flat on the other. His closed eyes fluttered due to deep sleep, causing his eyelashes to quiver. His stubble was still smooth, and her fingers itched to rub it. His soft lips were curved upwards, as he muttered something vaguely like "after school detention," in his sleep.

Glancing up at the wall clock, she noticed it was still earlier than their usual time for getting up on workdays.

She turned her denim gaze back to her partner, smiling at his closed eyes.

Leaning slowly and silently towards the bedside table, she turned off his alarm clock.

She had a far better way to wake him up.

She settled into the crook of his neck, trailing sweet open-mouthed kisses. The path went from Nathan's collarbone to his chiseled jaw. Lightly nibbling the dimple at his chin she loved so much, she heard him stir groggily from her movements.

Continuing, she lead her lips up to his cheek, then, to the corner of his mouth, smiling as she heard his deep grunt of approval.

He was awake now, steely blue eyes stormy with lust as they watched her.

"'Morning," he croaked with a lopsided grin, his 'just-woke-up' voice making her toes curl.

She finally pressed her lips to his; a full and tender touch.

"'Morning," she repeated back, a smile making her expression reflect his similarly.

He did the same thing she did when she first awoke; glanced at the wall clock.

Time-management skills were one thing they had in common, one thing that enabled them to work so well together in the field.

He frowned at the one on his bedside table, before turning back to her.

"Something wrong?" Audrey innocently questioned.

"Just on the fritz again," Nathan muttered, gesturing to the alarm clock.

"It's not," Audrey assured, biting her lip to hold back a laugh.

He raised an eyebrow in silent question, as he let one hand slip down to cup her hip.

"I turned it off," she explained with a wicked smirk, as she ran her fingers down his shirtless abdomen(teasingly letting them fall a bit lower), enjoying the guttural sound he let out. "Wanted to make waking up more enjoyable."

"You succeeded," he confirmed, his lips quirking, as he recalled her sensual trail on his skin.

He ran a hand through his bed hair, incapable of feeling the unruliness of it. Smiling at the way he ignorantly mussed it up more, Audrey wordlessly let her hand reach out and neaten it as best she could.

The corners of Nathan's mouth twitched at the simple but intimate movement, as he propped up on an elbow lazily. Holding his chin in his hand, he angled his head in her direction. Drinking her in thoroughly.

Her blonde hair matched his in the disheveled appearance. Her cheeks were flushed with color; pink from an innate, morning blush. Her eyes seemed to look more alert and vigilant under his own. Her teeth grazed her lower lip, waiting in anticipation.

"How'd you sleep?"

The question fell so naturally from his lips.

"I had my very own human heater for the night," Audrey grinned playfully, "so, pretty good. You?"

"Other than your hair tickling me every time you fidgeted in your sleep," Nathan answered with a stoic expression, though the glinting amusement in his eyes gave him away, "nicely."

Audrey rolled her eyes, a smile creeping onto her lips.

Their legs remained tangled together, arms thrown across each other, the growing body heat caressing them both.

They laid in comfortable silence; stealing peeks at each other, before full-out gawking shamelessly ensued.

The intensity of his stare took her breath away, as the ocean-breeze tint of his eyes turned midnight-blue.

"We've got to get going," she murmured, knowing his expression could only lead to trouble. Trouble that didn't make her want to stray away, but rather join in whole-heartedly.

She leaned her weight off the mattress, preparing to get dressed, before Nathan grabbed her.

He swiftly pinned her beneath him, shifting his weight so it hovered above her.

"We're going to be late," she chided without true intention, as his lips caressed her sternum.

Her words and actions were a contradiction; since her hand threaded through his hair, urging him to continue.

"It'd be worth it," he countered with a persuasive edge, as her hands gave in; tracing the hard, defined planes of his bare chest.

"If you're making us late, Wuornos," Audrey teased, her mouth tilted in amusement, "I get to shower before you."

"Why don't we shower together? It'll save time." Nathan answered, his voice portraying mock naiveness to any ulterior motives, a devious grin on his face. He heard her breath hitch at his question; he was even surprised at himself that he'd blurted it out.

Silent, stoic Nathan was gone when he was with her.

She had that effect on him; the ability to make him say exactly and whatever was on his mind.

Audrey hooked her legs around his waist, pulling his masculine body close.

"You offering to wash my back?" She whispered seductively, lightly biting his earlobe.

"Can be arranged," he huskily responded, letting his hands skim her thigh.

"Then let's go," Audrey mumbled, her lips turning upwards into a smile.

"In a bit," Nathan muttered in response, smoothly separating her body from her shirt.

"In a bit," she echoed in agreement, before letting her rapacious lips claim his.

* * *

After showering (and other pleasurable physical activities), they ate breakfast, which consisted of bacon, eggs, and toast. Eating quickly, they hopped into the familiar sky-blue truck. The vehicle turned in the usual pathway towards the police station.

"I knew it," Audrey stated with her brow furrowing, glancing at digital clock in the Bronco, before taking a deep sip of her morning coffee.

Nathan settled on giving her a quick look of mild confusion, before turning his gaze back to the road.

"Knew wh-" He began to ask, before her fingers flew out to the back of his neck, giving him a sharp blow of pain.

"Ouch," he winced (though his lips were faintly quirked at her sudden contact), putting a comforting hand to his neck, as the other one balanced the steering wheel.

"You going to tell me what that was for?"

"Suggesting we shower together," Audrey explained with a frown, "I knew we'd get sidetracked and be late."

"You weren't exactly complaining," Nathan muttered, the ghost of a smirk on his lips, as he threw her a steamy glance.

"That's because you were distracting me," she weakly defended, her cheeks mildly flushing in remembrance.

"I think you were actually the one distracting _me_," Nathan argued in a good-natured tone, stretching out the last word in emphasis.

"It went both ways," Audrey answered, with a dismissive wave of her hand, "but when you pulled me against the shower wall and-"

"I know, I remember," Nathan answered, cutting her off with a sheepish smile and embarrassed pink ears.

"They always say it's the quiet, shy ones you have to watch out for," she informed, amusement seeping into her voice.

"And the talkative, demanding ones," Nathan quipped back with quirked lips, laughing at the annoyed glare he received in return.

Pulling up to the station, the duo began to walk towards the entrance.

Nathan held out the door for his partner, to which she smiled.

"I guess chivalry isn't dead," she announced quietly, her expression grateful, as she walked inside.

"It has its perks," Nathan added silently so only she could hear, with a small 'cat-ate-the-canary' grin as he watched her walk in. It was a smile Duke usually wore, but seeing it on Nathan was even more appealing; due to its rarity.

Audrey felt a tinge of confusion, before she realized what he meant. She made an effort to huff in annoyance (though she couldn't muster any), as she turned to her partner, who had now let go of the door handle.

"You getting a good look?" She asked, in what she hoped was a tone of mild irritation. She bit her lip to hold back a persistent smile, as Nathan fell in step with her.

Once they were out of earshot of other officers, he finally answered.

"I've done a lot more than get a good look," Nathan countered in a low voice, his blue gaze on her stormy and playful simultaneously, as they headed towards their joint office.

Audrey ignored his suggestive words, the only sign she'd heard him were her abruptly rosy cheeks and a broad grin, as she opened the office door.

The tedious session of filling out file reports was awaiting inside.

* * *

To Be Continued...


	25. Duke's Realization

**The tedious session of filling out file reports was awaiting inside.**

* * *

"Who knew? Justice smells like cold coffee and mundane paperwork."

Audrey glanced up knowingly from her desk with a smile to see the familiar owner of The Grey Gull.

"Hello to you too, Duke," she greeted, making it obvious she was ignoring his comment.

Nathan had barely looked up, though his jaw had clenched tightly, so he probably knew they had a special guest.

"Detective," Duke greeted towards him, his grin broadening as Nathan only gave a low grunt in response.

"The social charisma here is charming, really," Duke stated, nodding vigorously in mock pride.

Not reacting to his words, Nathan finally glanced at the opposite man with narrowed eyes.

"You've been in here for over 30 seconds now, right?"

Duke quirked a suspicious eyebrow, before answering.

"Congratulations," he jeered, "you can tell time. So I've been in here for half a minute; your point being...?"

"You obviously know you're in a police station, then," Nathan went on stoically, glancing back to the file report on his desk, "not a bootlegging port. What do you want?"

"Play nice, boys," Audrey warned menacingly for such a petite woman, interrupting the retort Duke was preparing, her voice full of assertive determination.

She glanced at the two of them pointedly, as she sharply raised an eyebrow; daring them to continue on with their verbal punches.

Nathan gave a stiff, obedient nod in her direction, as he turned back to his unfinished paperwork.

Duke made a point of zipping his mouth up, and throwing away an imaginary key. He then held up his hands, as if surrendering.

"Why're you here, Duke?" Audrey asked, a bit more kinder than how her partner originally managed, though just as direct. "This isn't exactly your favorite place in the world."

He didn't answer immediately. Instead, made a big show of grabbing back the key out of thin air, and unzipping his mouth before speaking. Audrey rolled her eyes in frustration.

"I second that," Duke agreed finally, suspiciously studying the surrounding walls of the station, before looking back to her. "I'm actually here case-related. Shocker, right? Since I always just stop by here for an evening stroll, never for- "

"Okay," Audrey informed, her 'I-mean-business' voice cutting him off, "start talking now."

"Sheesh," he answered, "all right. I'm at The Gull, a regular stops by. We're chatting about local events, and these fires come up."

"And?"

"I told him I knew people here investigating it. Guess he knew you two; because he asked if it was the 'fiesty blonde and quiet guy'. I'm no liar, so I said yeah.

He said he wants to talk to you. Wants you guys to meet him at his place tomorrow."

Nathan's brow furrowed, attention caught, as he looked up to ask a question.

"Do you know the regular's name?"

"It could really help," Audrey added, finishing Nathan's thought.

"Might lead to a-" Nathan began, before his partner interrupted to complete his sentence.

"-possible suspect." She nodded in agreement.

Duke quirked an eyebrow at the strange idiosyncrasy the two were developing, but didn't say anything.

"Jacob Holt," Duke grinned, his tone boastful to have some information they didn't, "he's the best buyer of my imported-_legally_ imported-" he added sharply, when Nathan smirked, "bourbon at The Gull. He'd just buy bottles on top of bottles."

"And now?" Audrey questioned, a raised eyebrow.

"And now what?" Duke replied, confused as to what she was referring to.

"He still a big buyer?"

"Now that you mention it," Duke frowned, "no. I mean, maybe a bottle here and there; but not the usual heavy quantity.

It sucks. That bourbon is strong stuff, the real deal. Nobody but him really buys it. And even he's not as much now."

Audrey lightly smiled at her desk as she twirled her pen, proud of the man.

Not sure how bad sales at The Gull are amusing to her, Duke thought to himself.

Nathan caught her gaze as she looked back up, his azure irises bright with reverence, nodding at her in acknowledgment.

Maybe her pep talk with Holt seemed to have helped.

It seemed as if everything and everyone else faded when they locked eyes, when they gazed at one another. Faded away completely, so much though, that they forgot another person was in the room.

"Wow," Duke began, clearly entertained, his eyes darting back and forth between the two, "it's official."

Audrey tore her gaze away from Nathan resentfully, glancing up at Duke with a cocked eyebrow in inquiry.

"It's official," he repeated again, with a tone of finality, "staying at Nathan's has made you two so..._couple-y_.

Well, MORE couple-y." Duke amended, with a dismissive flourish of his hand, "Finishing each other's sentences, making goo goo eyes at each other across the room. I'm shocked that you guys have made it this far without sleeping together."

He snorted in laughter at his last statement, before an awkward, strained silence shadowed over the room. Duke's eyes widened in sudden realization.

He stared at Audrey's cherry blossom-tinted cheeks; examining the way she didn't hold his gaze, as she twirled a lock of hair. Then he turned to a cerise-eared Nathan with a clenched jaw, who was forcefully gawking at his pen intently; like it was incredibly fascinating, or held the answers to the universe.

"You guys slept together," Duke finally stated after a moment, a toothy grin on his face. He held back a wince of pain; his cheeks were hurting from how broadly he was grinning at the two.

It wasn't spoken as a question, but a fact.

"Audrey Parker slept-" throwing them an apologetic face, he corrected himself, "-sorry, I meant _is sleeping_ with Nathan Wuornos," he announced more vividly, ignoring the glare he got from Nathan, trying to wrap his head around it. "Well, technically, there wasn't any sleeping involved. And I'm guessing it wasn't a one time thing...?"

"Duke," she began to say, her voice full of annoyed warning, "you-"

"Nope, no way," he cut her off, waving his hands randomly in the air, in a spastic manner.

Duke furiously shook his head, narrowing his eyes at her in mock suspicion.

"I know we're good friends, Audrey," he assured, a glint of playfulness in his eyes, "but don't mistake me for one of your _girlfriends_. I don't resemble Julia at all, so please refrain from telling me how good Tin Man was in bed."

"Duke-" Nathan practically growled.

"If not in bed," Audrey interrupted, her voice thick with mock eagerness, "how about the shower?

Because," she mumbled in phony, exaggerated lust to mess with the smuggler, fanning herself with her hand before continuing on, "that man really knows what he's doing-"

"Parker," Nathan groaned out uncomfortably, while putting his head down on the desk to cover his reddening face; at the exact same time Duke moaned out a pained, "Audrey," as he stuck a finger in each ear to block out her voice.

"Oops," Audrey sheepishly stated, an apolegetic smile on face as she turned to Nathan, "it was meant to make Duke feel awkward, not you."

"Two birds with one stone," Nathan muttered, finally lifting his head to reveal bright pink ears.

Taking one finger away to check if Audrey'd stopped talking (and having been satisfied with the outcome), Duke took his other finger away from his ear with a relieved expression. He opened his pointlessly shut eyes, glancing at Audrey.

"Now that you're finished scarring my adulthood," he stated, while shuddering in feigned horror, "I actually brought something in addition to my graceful presence; left it in the break room."

Stepping out of the office momentarily, he was back just as quick. Holding up two steaming, white paper bags from The Grey Gull, he plopped each on their desks.

"Lunch," he declared, wagging a finger at Audrey, "though now, you don't deserve it."

"Thank you, Duke," she responded, but not before rolling her eyes teasingly at his words.

"I made sure Nora let it cool for a minute," Duke quietly assured, turning to the opposite man.

"Thanks," Nathan muttered, his one-word reply sincere, as he placed all the contents inside the bag on his desk.

Duke merely grunted in response; as much as he would do to acknowledge his good deed.

"You lovebirds better not start feeding each other," Duke warned, making a fake gagging noise, "if you do, you'd better find the food still appetizing while I'm vomiting on the floor."

The duo ignored him, pleasantly digging into their meal.

Biting into a french fry, Audrey sighed in a satisfied manner at the steamy, delicious food.

Before she knew what was happening, Duke grabbed a large handful of her fries in a spare napkins that laid in the paper bag.

"Hey!" She exclaimed with a frown, as he walked towards Nathan's desk.

"For not sharing any revolting details of your sex life," Duke justified informatively, dropping the fries he carried in his hand into the container that held Nathan's.

"I'm agreeable to that," Nathan answered, his lips quirked, as he studied the edible gift.

"As long as you guys don't start with any of that PDA crap," Duke continued tentatively, scratching his neck awkwardly, "I'd say...you're good together."

Nathan remained silent, though the two men exchanged some sort of meaningful nod.

Audrey willed her cheeks not to blush in shyness, and luckily, they cooperated.

"Was that a compliment? A sincere compliment? No punch line?" Audrey questioned with mock surprise, her gaze widening.

Duke smiled at her, rolling his eyes in amusement.

"You both like doing this cop thing. Why? No idea. He doesn't speak very much," Duke listed out reasons, pointing at Nathan, "and Audrey, you talk enough for the both of you sweethearts. A perfect match."

Audrey glared at him, ignoring the way Nathan's lips quirked.

"Can you say that first, kind comment again? I'm not sure I heard you right." She pressed, holding out her right ear.

"No can do, that compliment drained out the remaining bits of my sincerity with it. You'll have to wait till next year to hear me say something genuinely nice again." Duke informed, before glancing at the wall clock.

"I'll be counting the days," Audrey teased.

After a moment or more of good-natured bickering and bantering, Duke spoke.

"Gotta go," he stated, heading towards the office door, "this place has finally given me the creeps, and the new shift's starting at The Gull."

After the detectives muttered their good-byes, Duke glanced back at them, grinning.

Wordlessly, he closed the blinds of the office patiently. One by one, then he turned back to them.

He examined their quizzical expressions, turning towards them.

"A new couple and all," Duke explained, speaking rapidly to get his teasing remarks out without being interrupted, "you can't control your hormones. Just making sure sweet ol' Stan out there doesn't get scarred, like me. I'm sure he doesn't want to see any lovemaking at work. Or hear any. Speaking of, you should get some soundproof walls in here-"

"Ugh, Duke," Audrey stated while stretching his name out in disbelief, she frowned simultaneously as her nose scrunched up, "gross."

Nathan simply rolled his eyes, shaking his head at the immature man before him.

Duke leaned against the doorframe, ready to go.

"And by the way, thanks for getting together this month and not the next," he smiled with tainted gratefulness, continuing on to settle their confusion, "Julia owes me 100 bucks now."

And with that, he closed their office door as he exited the station.

* * *

To Be Continued...


	26. Declarations And Memory Lane

Author's Note: Hope I'm not too OOC for this one. Enjoy!

* * *

**And with that, he closed their office door as he exited the station.**

* * *

"I really did mean to only make Duke uncomfortable," Audrey blurted out randomly, as they finished up their lunch.

Her words awoke them from the soundless station; it was late, and the majority of officers already went home or were out patrolling.

The only person they knew was here, was the receptionist, who resided at the front entrance.

They had gotten side-tracked by filling out the reports and paperwork. So technically, they were finishing up their food hours later; nibbling on a cold fry or two, sipping the last of their halfway flat soda.

"I know," Nathan shrugged, his lips quirking at her defensiveness.

Audrey walked to his desk, stealing a fry of what little he had left. She glanced out the window, at the darkening sky, before catching his gaze again.

"I wasn't joking though," Audrey stated factually, a smile spreading on her lips.

She sat on the empty, spare seat beside Nathan. With his desk in front of the two of them, Audrey surveyed the noiseless station.

"About what?" Nathan asked, his brow furrowing as he tried to recall.

She started tracing lazy circles on the denim of his jeans, digging her nails in when she reached his upper thigh. She loved the way he gasped at the touch, at the feel of her warmth.

"About you knowing what you were doing," Audrey said, her voice a low purr.

"Likewise," Nathan replied huskily, his blue eyes stormy as he glanced at the closed blinds, then back at her.

Before he could utter another word, she tangled her fingers in his hair.

His breathing became smooth and even, his eyes fluttered closed, as her fingers massaged his scalp.

It was something so simple, but something he'd been deprived of.

"Can't believe they made a bet," Nathan muttered with his eyes remaining closed, referring to Duke and Julia.

"I know," Audrey mumbled, a shy smile forming, "guess they saw us happening before we did."

Nathan squinted his one eye open, glancing at her, before shutting it again. He grinned, unable to control the abrupt reflex.

"What?" Audrey asked, an eyebrow raised at him, though he couldn't see it.

He merely shook his head dismissively, his grin broadening.

"Tell me," she pressed firmly with a frown, the cop in her coming out.

When he didn't say anything, she stopped her relaxing head massage.

"Tell me," she repeated, smiling triumphantly as he groaned.

Slowly, his eyes opened.

"_You_ were the only one who didn't see us happening." Nathan stated cautiously, shrugging with nonchalance.

She felt anything but.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Audrey questioned, her stomach erupting with a swarm of butterflies.

"It means," Nathan began hesitantly, almost shyly, his navy-blue gaze softening at her, "I-I had grown to think of you as more than a partner."

"Nathan," Audrey replied as she rolled her eyes good-naturedly, holding back an amused laugh, "we already went over that a week-"

"Way earlier than a week ago," he cut in, averting her gaze, as he ran a trembling hand through his hair.

When Audrey remained silent, her eyebrows raised in wordless ponder. He could tell she was mulling over his every word, as he continued.

"You just...had this sass, this confidence. You weren't intimidated by the Chief, wouldn't take any crap from him. You bluntly questioned me about my affliction your first day in Haven," Nathan lightly smirked, recalling how he had teased her about feeling fire, "didn't feel awkward or pity towards me about it. You were stunning too; that smooth blonde hair, sky-blue eyes."

Audrey stayed noiseless, though her cheeks turned pink at the last statement, ensuring that she was listening closely.

"And this was before I knew I could feel you," he added in quickly, hoping she wasn't thinking that, as he took a shaky breath, "I wouldn't take advantage of you like that; risking our partnership and friendship. That's why I didn't make a move or anything," he stated, mentally adding that he was never smooth at that stuff anyway, "after I found out, or after you did either; I didn't want to make you feel used. Because you meant more-you're so much more- than that. I didn't want to make you feel obligated. Because you aren't, and shouldn't think you are. I'm not good with words," he mumbled, rubbing a hand to his stubble, "never have been. What I'm trying to say is-I, well-I'm in love with you. Have been for awhile. Not because of your touch; because of you; Audrey Prudence Parker.

So-um, yeah," Nathan muttered, feeling unsure of his speech, "I-that's it."

He knew he couldn't feel it, but he was sure his ears were getting flushed, turning a beet-red.

Hesitantly, he looked up to meet her gaze, which was soft and stormy all at once.

Audrey ran a soft finger along his jawline, kissing his lips with a sweetness, a new sweetness.

Pulling back, she looked at him.

"I love you, too," she answered redundantly, her eyes already conveying the three words. Her heart felt not in her chest, but rather in her throat.

Nathan felt warmth seep into him, a lightness in his chest. Happiness.

"I'm guessing that's what I feel, I've never felt it before," she admitted timidly, "I've never really had a closeness with anyone like I've had with you. I mean, c'mon, I was an orphan."

She was silent for a moment, thinking about the harsh truth she stated. Remembering her lonely days; waiting for a happy ending as a child. A mother who never came, a father who she never met.

"But I saw you as more than a partner a lot earlier, too. I tried to push those types of thoughts away, because I'm not-I've never-" Audrey took a deep breath, getting her thoughts in order, "-I've never had a serious relationship; romantic or family. I thought I would screw up-still do-" She added in a quiet mutter, ignoring the incredulous look Nathan shot her, "and mess up what we have; being partners, being friends. But I know I have to try. Because...well, you make me want to, Nathan Thaddeus Wuornos."

She bit her lip anxiously, waiting for his response.

"Say it again," Nathan murmured fiercely, tenderly grabbing her waist. He didn't care that his voice slightly cracked at the end of his words, his usual stoic demeanor shattering.

"Nathan Thaddeus Wuornos," she repeated, grinning as he rolled his eyes.

"I love you," she finally stated again, her words a soft promise, saying it with just as much heart and soul as the first time.

"I love you too," Nathan echoed instantaneously, pressing his lips to hers.

They pressed their foreheads against each other, calmly resting in one another's arms.

"When?"

Audrey's voice blew them both out of the comfortable, relaxing silence.

Nathan opened his eyes, seeing her sapphire gaze already on him. He cocked an eyebrow; usually he was the one with the single-worded questions.

"When what?"

"When did you know you thought of me as more?"

She felt that question seemed more mature, than "When did you know you like-_liked_ me?". They were grown adults, not teenagers putting notes in each other's lockers.

"Honestly," Nathan began with a sheepish grin, "it wasn't a sudden epiphany; a bunch of moments here and there made me realize."

"Tell me some of those moments," Audrey pressed, the cute wrinkles on her forehead showing her curiosity.

"First day I met you," Nathan started with a distant smile, "when you were halfway off a cliff due to your horrible driving skills-"Audrey flicked his ear, though she was also grinning, "-I asked you if you needed help. And you just-you gave some smart-ass, sarcastic remark, _while halfway off a cliff_. It made me want to laugh, you were so witty."

Audrey chuckled with her partner, remembering their first interaction. She squeezed him arm, urging him to continue.

"When we went to The Gu-Second Chance for its opening night, you were wearing this blue dress. One that matched your eyes perfectly. It drove me insane, the entire night. I felt like I was on my first date. And then-" Nathan let out a throaty chuckle, calming his breath before continuing, "-you realized you forgot to take the tag off," ignoring the threatening look Audrey shot him, he went on, "but it was cute. You got all flustered; you weren't so wrapped up in your looks. You were beautiful without trying."

"Sappy," Audrey mumbled at his last sentence, though she had a shy smile on her lips. She ignored the blush that had touched her cheeks, waiting for him to go on.

"The entire case of the Dark Man," Nathan recalled with a grin, "you were trying to convince me you had friends; so defensively."

His mood darkened slightly, as he looked down.

"And at Carpenter's Knot. I thought that-you were-that you'd-" Audrey placed her hand in his, giving his a reassuring squeeze, "I thought you were...gone. And being here-" he motioned to the station, to the Haven PD, "-suddenly just seemed so meaningless."

She kissed him again, to show she wasn't going anywhere, to show she was here with him.

She felt him soften, relax.

"What about you?"

Audrey lifted her gaze to his at the sound of his deep voice, as she comfortably scooted to sit in his lap.

"When I knew I thought of you as more?" She clarified, getting a nod from him.

"A lot of moments, like you," Audrey informed factually, making Nathan's lips quirk. She wrapped her arms around his neck, resting her head on his shoulder.

"Tell me some of those moments," Nathan countered, repeating her own words intentionally. He felt her lips smile against his skin.

"Well, for starters," she began in an a mock objective tone.

She squeezed his muscular bicep, then trailed her hand down to rest on his firm chest, letting the actions emphasize her next words.

"You know how you look. No woman could ignore that, even if they-I- acted indifferent."

She smacked the back of his head with her free hand, head still on his shoulder.

"What was that for?" Nathan mumbled, mock pain dripping from his voice.

"I can't see your face right now, but I know you have an annoyingly cocky grin at the moment."

She was right.

He evaded her truthful statement.

"You been checking me out, Parker?" Nathan teased, drawing imaginary circles on her waist with his finger.

"At Carpenter's Knot-my birthday party-," Audrey recalled, eluding his statement pointedly, which only made him grin wider, "You attended. That in itself was a nice gesture. I thought the whole Jess thing would make you stay at home and wallow. And then you told me about your 'Jack Daniels/Patsy Kline' routine; how it was 'a man thing'."

She pulled her head up to see his reaction at that; he merely grinned ruefully, probably regretting that he'd mentioned it to her.

She stayed in the position, mirroring his expression.

"It was cute," she continued, liking the way he cocked an eyebrow at the word, "your manly way of handling heartbreak.

And then-after the chameleon incident- we exchanged our middle names. Out of everything you could ask to know, you asked for that. Something so simple, so modest.

On one of my starting cases, we were watching Ray and Lilly McBreen sail away with those other psychiatric patients. You remember that?" She asked.

Nathan nodded, his lips quirking.

"You remember what you told me?"

He nodded again, tentatively hesitating before answering.

"'Maybe you'll fix me one day.'" Nathan repeated, a lopsided grin as he studied the woman before him.

"Exactly," she recalled with a smile, "that was when I knew you weren't the average guy.

You didn't ever need to be fixed, by the way. You were never broken from the start," Audrey assured, pressing a kiss to the corner of his mouth to seal her words. He sighed against her, comfortably waiting for her to continue on with their walk down Memory Lane.

"And on that earlier case, when Beatrice let you hold Benny," Audrey stated with a devious expression, "You holding a baby is extremely sexy, Wuornos."

"Noted," Nathan answered, his voice low, his eyes stormy.

"Little things I found out about you," Audrey resumed onwards, "your decoupage talent," she grinned mischievously at that one, as he ignored her amused gaze, "you used to play Little League with Duke, you golf, your sensitive nose-" she emphasized this one by flicking his nose gently, recalling when she'd gotten him lilies and lilacs, "- and, your particular liking for meteor showers."

She added the last one with a smirk, enjoying the way the tips of his ears brightened.

"We should try that," she mumbled in his ear, enjoying the way his breathing shallowed slightly.

He didn't answer, just tilted his lips into a playful grin.

They remained in silent companionship, admiring the other's presence in wordless appreciation.

"It's getting late. We should probably get going," Nathan murmured after a moment, though he made no attempt to move Audrey from his lap.

Instead, he continued holding her comfortably, enjoying the feel of her warmth transferring into him.

"We should," Audrey concurred, regretfully loosening her arms away from him. She got up from him tentatively, sad to have to let her cozy seat go.

After heading into the Bronco, Nathan led the way home.

* * *

To Be Continued...


	27. Time And Practice

Author's Note: This one's for all of my wonderful reviewers/followers; each one of you motivate me to keep writing. :)

And to Peacockgirl; I promise you, if I had the privilege to write for this life-ruining show, it would have a disturbingly excessive amount of Naudrey scenes. ;)

* * *

**After heading into the Bronco, Nathan led the way home. **

* * *

The ride back was relaxed, easy-going. Then again, it was always like that.

After eating some delicious homemade macaroni-and-cheese for dinner, they put their dishes into the dishwasher.

Slipping into Nathan's bedroom, Audrey stripped quickly. She grabbed an old t-shirt of his; no permission was needed. She pulled on the faded, gray tee; the hem of it ending near her bare thighs. She shrug it on naturally, no hesitation.

Nathan glanced towards her, a predatory feeling stirring.

Maybe he was supposed to find it more appealing when she wore skimpy, tight clothing; something that showed off her curvaceous body. But to him, seeing her in one of his loose t-shirts was enough to do him over. Probably because it was more alluring as to what was underneath, but he knew the main reason. Her tiny figure wrapped up in his baggy clothing made his heart flip. Call it possessive or primitive, but it made him feel like she belonged to him.

"What?"

Audrey's voice brought him out of his daydreaming trance, slipping him back into the seams of reality.

He realized he'd been openly staring at her for the past minute or more.

"Nothing," Nathan muttered, scratching the back of his neck.

Maybe in his thoughts the words would flourish with eloquence, but aloud...he would only manage to string together a strained sentence or two.

She arched a golden eyebrow at him; knowing there was more, but let it go.

She had twisted her sunny-colored locks into a bun during their last couple hours of work. Still studying him, she pulled the elastic band out of her hair, letting it fall gracefully to her shoulders.

Nathan's lips quirked at her movement, as he quickly closed the distance between them. He tangled a hand in her loose hair, running it through her curtain of locks; enjoying the feel of the soft texture. She smiled, turning her head slightly to let him have better access.

He tenderly twirled a smooth lock around his finger, amazed at the silky warmth it gave to him.

After realizing he'd probably been standing like that for a-more-than-appropriate time, Nathan quickly pulled his hand back.

"Sorry," he mumbled, a sheepish smile on his face.

"Don't be," Audrey assured as wrapped her arms around his waist, her facial expression conveying it was more than okay.

She enjoyed small moments like that; high fives, hugs, hand holding. They were extremely intimate moments, ones she'd never experienced. She welcomed every one of them; enjoying the way his heart would speed up, his breaths would steady, his blue eyes would soften.

They stood there for a minute, before Audrey realized she should get ready for bed.

Unable to resist, she leaned on her tiptoes to press a feather-light kiss to his cheek. She walked into the bathroom to brush, leaving Nathan with a goofy, content grin on his face.

He glanced down at his work attire. Knowing he himself should probably be getting ready too, he proceeded. He pulled off his shirt, and the white one underneath that was so tantalizing to Audrey.

When he unzipped and unbuttoned his jeans, Audrey emerged. At first, her eyes widened as they surveyed his body's state of undress. But she quickly eased, her gaze lighting up with a devilish spark in them.

She shamelessly walked up to him, her pink lips turned upwards in a grin of pure mischief. With an inch of space blocked between them, she glanced down at his lower-body, then regained his gaze just as fast. His low-strung jeans were uselessly covering him, revealing everything underneath.

"Nice boxers," she murmered in a seductive voice, tracing the waistband of them with her finger.

Nathan sucked in a sharp breath, as her smooth, soft trail continued, leaving a scalding feel on every inch of his skin.

"Parker," he hoarsely rasped out, self-control diminishing, "What're you doing?"

She rolled her eyes; unsure if he was honestly that clueless, or if he was just that much of a gentleman.

"Can't I just compliment an article of clothing?"

Her tone was innocent, though her actions were quite the opposite.

She pulled on the elastic of his 'article of clothing', wrapping it around her finger to drag him closer. Her other hand was busy running up and down his well-defined chest, lingering teasingly.

"You're doing a lot more than complimenting," Nathan managed to croak out, his breaths coming out in shallow pants.

She was tired of running around in circles. It would take hours for his obliviousness or chivalry, or whatever it was, to fade.

"Gee," Audrey answered, impatience simmering inside her, "you think?"

She tilted her head up to meet his eyes, her tongue flicking out to moisten her lips on its own accord. Her blue eyes were darkening, lust turning them the color of the deep midnight sky.

Nathan's appearance mirrored hers, though he remained where he stood. He gawked at her, uncertainty boiling inside him. His body looked stiff as a rod, unknowing on how to proceed. He raised one hand to scratch at his stubble, his confused gaze still locked with hers.

"I'm not-do you-" He aimlessly stammered.

Audrey managed not to roll her eyes again, holding the urge back. She smiled though, his awkwardness seeming to be another of his down-to-earth traits that she loved.

"Oh, Wuornos." She sighed, pulling him by the elastic of his boxers. She firmly pushed the both of them onto the bed, letting him go when he was sprawled out on top of her.

She pressed tender kisses to his chiseled jaw, enjoying the way his eyes mildly fluttered. She suddenly pulled back after a moment, catching his gaze intently, purpose flaming in them.

"You really going to make me spell it out?"

He hovered above her, both hands resting on either side of her head.

His eyes lit up, sudden understanding flowing into them. They darkened just as quickly, desire churning.

He shook his head obediently, responding to her question.

"Good," Audrey began to speak, relief mixed with laughter seeping into her voice, "took you long enough-"

Her words, as well as every thought inside her, melted away when Nathan pressed his soft lips to hers.

He deepened the kiss, his tongue boldly pushing against hers, while making one hand tenderly cup the nape of her neck.

Her lean legs latched around his waist for steadiness, as they trembled in immense pleasure.

"I'm bad at picking up signals," Nathan apologized sheepishly, each word annunciated with a kiss.

"You sure know how to make up for it," Audrey assured distractedly, as she eagerly ripped off the shirt she wore.

Nathan stopped, simply caressing without touching, as his trance-driven eyes raked over her. She felt a pleasurable chill go down her spine, his gaze so intense with soul, with passion, with love. For her. All for her.

"I do," he agreed finally, after all their physical inhibitions were tossed aside.

She didn't bother answering back; no verbal communication was needed or managed to be spoken while they embraced one another passionately.

* * *

They laid beside each other, hours later. Slick warmth soothed their now aching bodies, tangled sheets covering them. Their desperate gasps of air settled, letting calm breaths roam contently.

Audrey glanced up at Nathan with a smile, her eyelids feeling heavy from sleepiness.

"Hey, Nathan?" She murmured, a lazy yawn escaping from her lips. She curled up against him, her head resting on his chest. Her ear was positioned perfectly, allowing her to listen to the steady beating of his heart. He quickly snaked one arm around her waist, pulling her close.

She sounded half-asleep, but he still heard a shy edge to her voice.

"Yeah?" Nathan replied, his other hand involuntarily threading through her golden locks. He soothingly stroked her hair, as she nuzzled against heard her hum in delight at his calming movement, eliciting a quiet grin from him.

"I love you," Audrey mumbled, trying the three words out again. She'd never said them aloud until just that day, or ever meant it. She wanted them to roll off her tongue with ease, hoping their foreign feel would dissipate. Time and practice was all she needed. Lucky for her, Nathan wasn't so used to the three words either.

His heart did another flip it was so familiar to doing around her, swelling with joy.

Pressing a lopsided, muffled kiss to the top of her head, Nathan rested his chin there. A perfect fit.

"Love you too, Parker," he answered, with just as much sincerity and heart, echoing in the solemn words.

With those content truths muttered, they drifted off into the dark abyss known as sleep.

They had a big work day the next morning; restful slumber would ensure that they welcomed it with open arms.

The next day, a familiar Jacob Holt would be getting a visit from them.

* * *

To Be Continued...


	28. A Positive Transformation

Author's Note: Couldn't help but snag a lovely line of Nathan's from 4x01. A short flashback from season one is in here too; a time when Haven was _much_ more light-hearted, and these two had their usual humorous banter going on.

* * *

**The next day, a familiar Jacob Holt would be getting a visit from them.**

* * *

After the earlier comfortable night, the duo awoke the next morning utterly refreshed.

Hopping out of bed to shower and get dressed (separately, to avoid distractions), they snagged a quick breakfast.

"I don't get why Holt wants to see us," Audrey declared, smearing strawberry jam smoothly on her toast.

She managed to cover half of it, before Nathan promptly slid the knife out of her grasp. He began using it for his own piece of crisp bread, ignorant to her mildly annoyed frown.

"Probably forgot to mention a detail in his hung-over state," Nathan offered with a growing smile, without batting an eyelash at his action, "can't say I know what that's like."

"One of the pros of idiopathic neuropathy," Audrey nodded longingly, swatting at his hand as she grabbed the utensil back, "Do you even remember what a hangover feels like?"

She rolled her eyes, when his hand shot out; ripping off a greedy chunk of her toast.

Nathan grinned widely at her as he popped it in his mouth. He shook his head while he drank from his glass of orange juice, smoothing the food

down his throat.

"Tone down the boastfulness, Wuornos," Audrey chided, feeling a twinge of envy.

Roughly seizing his drink from his hold, she threw her head back as she took a deep, long sip.

Nathan quirked an eyebrow at her move, though she simply shrugged in response.

"Karma," she informed lightly, gesturing to her bitten off sandwich.

"Pretty sure that was you just being thirsty," Nathan countered, placing

his plate in the dishwasher, "not karma."

"Eh, who can tell the difference?"

As Audrey rinsed their glasses and placed them in the dish-rack, she felt two muscular arms circle around her waist.

"I can," his deep voice answered to her question, his lips finding the sensitive hollow of her throat.

"You're quite meticulous then, Detective," she responded blissfully, rubbing her hands up and down his arms.

"I learned from the best," Nathan answered, his tone simmering with pride.

A grin played on her lips, as she shifted in his arms to face him.

"She's always attentive," Nathan stated with his quirked lips, "letting me know what's going on and where we should head next."

"Yeah?" Audrey asked, watching him with a smile.

"Yeah," He repeated, leaning his lips to hers.

When they were finally a breath away, Nathan suddenly spoke again.

"Laverne really is amazing," he added, feigning a dreamy expression.

Audrey fiercely glared at him, raising a threatening hand to his neck.

"Kidding, kidding," he surrendered, holding back a laugh at her ferociously cute facial features.

When she uselessly tried moving out of his lean arms, he held tighter, placing apologetic kisses.

"I'm-" a kiss to her forehead, "-sorry-" one to her temple. He paused momentarily, before continuing.

"-I'm an-" he added with a peck to her cheek, and lastly to her lips, "-idiot."

Audrey sighed, her treacherous stomach releasing more and more butterflies at each of his tender touches.

"I know you are," she agreed, digging her hands into his hair softly.

"Gee, thanks," he grinned, leaning their foreheads against each other, "you're amazing. And attentive."

"Mmm," Audrey hummed contently, glancing at him, "go on."

"You let me know what's going on. And where we should head next." Nathan finished, repeating his earlier words, but this time with more meaning and heart. His sweet kiss sealed them like a promise, ensuring their truth.

"Come on, Wuornos," she replied with a shy edge at his earnest voice, pulling him towards the front door.

"Did Audrey Parker just say something that lacked wit, or sarcasm?" Nathan asked to lighten the mood, his eyes widening in fake shock.

"A one-time thing," Audrey retorted, rolling her eyes at him good-naturedly.

"Wouldn't expect any less," Nathan answered, flashing her a boyish grin, as they sped off to Holt's house.

* * *

Audrey hesitated before knocking on the Holt's front door.

If the inside still looked anything like it had during their last visit, she wouldn't particularly enjoy this.

The door flew open, ending her discomforted thoughts.

"Hey," greeted a clean-shaved man, his brown hair neatly parted.

"Hello," Nathan answered back, not giving him a second glance, as he looked towards the inside of the house, "we're looking for Jacob Holt."

He motioned to Audrey and himself, non-verbally explaining the 'we', holding up the Haven PD badge.

"I'll go get him," the man nodded, his eyes twinkling with something unreadable.

He turned around, his back towards them. Then, just as quickly turned back to face them.

"Hello again," the man replied, smirking slightly, in a good-natured manner.

Nathan glanced to his parter, his brow furrowing.

"I'm sorry," Audrey answered, her eyebrow quirking with mild confusion, "is this some sort of-"

She cut off whatever words were going to pop out, studying the man in front of her. Studying the new and improved Jacob Holt.

His shaven face definitely made him look better, the previous vagrant-like image gone. The bags under his newly alert eyes were faded, showing no sign of restless insomnia. His hair was cut, and professionally done so. The tidiness of it resembled a sleek business man. His clothes (which shockingly weren't the same things he had on during their last visit) looked nicely ironed, no disorderly wrinkled or rumbled creases.

Audrey grinned, glad that he smelled of strong aftershave, rather than of strong liquor.

"I see you took heed of my advice," she answered in an objective tone, her voice straining to sound only factual and not pleased. Her satisfied expression set her indifferent voice off, though.

"Considered it," Holt smiled, while nodding casually; though his forest-green eyes simmering with gratefulness was anything but.

Nathan held his usual emotionless poker-face, but underneath, was impressed. The man cleaned up his act quickly, and well.

"Anyway," Audrey replied, shaking her head slightly to clear her mind, " we're actually here because Duke Crocker said you-"

"Yeah," Holt interrupted, "I wanted to talk about the case."

He observed they stood on the porch still, not making any hint to step inside the house.

"We can stay on the stoop if you'd like," he assured with a quirked eyebrow, "or go inside."

One glance at the harsh Maine breeze that had them (actually, only Audrey) shivering, gave the answer away.

"Indoor heating seems nice right about now," Audrey admitted, as Holt held the door open, signaling them to follow him inside.

* * *

"Love what you've done with the place," Audrey finally stated, glancing at the living room surroundings, before taking a seat.

"I haven't renovated or remodeled," Holt answered, his expression bewildered.

"But you have cleaned up," she bluntly replied, giving him a small smile.

It was true; he had. It wasn't exactly the neatest and most spotless house, but it was certainly a lot better than earlier.

"Ah," Holt agreed, looking self-satisfied as he studied the room, "that."

"You said you wanted to talk to us about the case?" Nathan asked, steering them back on track.

"Yeah," Holt nodded, continuing, "I feel like Teddy's getting...I don't know, jumpy. Seems on edge. About the fires and Inn, that is."

Nathan and Audrey exchanged a quick glance, taking in his words.

"Are you sure it's not just because of Scott leaving?"

It was a valid question.

"I am," Holt confirmed, his expression solidly unwavering, "I was talking to him a couple days ago, when you two questioning me came up. He looked...spooked. Seemed worried, to be honest. Started asking me what you wanted to know, what I answered."

"Did you tell him?" Nathan inquired.

"Nah," Holt answered, shaking his head, "just vaguely. Didn't think it important to tell him every detailed thing about-" he sucked in a sharp breath, before continuing hesitantly, "-about my wife. Or about that Jenny person.

It may be nothing. I mean, I asked him why he was acting so strange; he said he was just anxious about what you guys would tell the Herald. Didn't want bad press for the Inn. He could be telling the truth...or lying. I've got no clue. But I'd rather not let it slide. You never know."

"That's true," Audrey nodded, her brow furrowing as she continued, "do you know how Teddy's Inn is doing-financially, that is-lately?"

"No, he always kept talk of the place's finances and money quiet. Didn't really talk about it. I'm guessing the sole person who knows about that stuff is him, and him only."

After a couple more follow-up questions, the duo stood up to head out.

Stepping outside, Audrey glanced back at Holt.

"Glad to see you're no longer a barfly," she stated teasingly, though her tone was sincere.

"Yeah," Holt nodded with a distant smile on his face, thinking about his past lifestyle, "you and me both."

He shut the door firmly after, leaving Nathan and Audrey to head towards Bronco.

* * *

"We can't go to Pierson's again," Nathan finally spoke, after the steady rhythm of the Bronco started, "at least not about this."

"Why not?"

Her tone insisted she would battle until the end on this argument.

Nathan threw her an incredulous look, before glancing back to the road ahead.

"Remember when you first came to Haven? During one of our earliest cases, that butterfly wrapped you-"

"-cocooned me." Audrey corrected fiercely, daring him to rectify her word choice.

"_cocooned_ you," Nathan conformed, rolling his eyes, "and you thought the Rev was behind it. We didn't go to him on a whim; if it was him, he'd be spooked. Maybe would've made a run for it. If it wasn't, we wouldn't have-" he cut off whatever well-spoken thought he had, instead going for the blunt truth, "-well, we'd look like idiots."

Audrey smiled, remembering what Nathan had told her, after cutting her out. She had been extremely insistent about talking to the Rev, though he brought up a valid argument.

"What are you going to say?" He had asked, his stoic face remaining emotionless, even after seeing her in nothing but a voluptuously-fitting towel. "You wrapped me up in a cocoon, confess."

Back in the present, Nathan continued.

"Parker, we can't go to Pierson and question him _again_, just because he's," he struggled to find the right word, shrugging at the only one that came to mind, "...emoting."

Audrey grinned at the term he chose to use, nodding her head in agreement.

What could they say when they questioned him? Something like, "You looked scared apparently, we're not sure what about, but scared." might not bode over well.

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Audrey concurred.

"Sorry," Nathan answered, the corners of his mouth twitching in amusement, "could you repeat that?"

"Nope," she replied, popping the 'p' in mirth.

Shaking his head in laughter, he parked the Bronco. Hopping out of the vehicle, they headed inside the station for another work day.

* * *

To Be Continued...


End file.
